Airliners-India.com

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 6:41 pm Post subject:

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Sabya99

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Wow, nice compilation, as usual!

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 3:28 pm Post subject:

Bees in airport bonnet

The Telegraph : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120911/jsp/calcutta/story_15960903.jsp

A swarm of honeybees gave Calcutta airport the heebie-jeebies on Monday morning, hijacking the right wing of a parked Airbus A320 and blocking the front door before a jet spray forced them to fly away.
IndiGo’s Bangalore-Calcutta-Patna flight was stationed in parking bay 51 near a construction site of the integrated terminal with a few passengers already inside when the bees settled on the wing, stalling boarding for some time and delaying the flight by 21 minutes.
Fliers waiting to get on the plane for the Calcutta-Patna leg of the journey were escorted to the rear door even as airline officials decided to fight the bee invasion with a fire tender.
Rahad Soni was among the many who got a close look at the swarm from the safety of her window seat in the fourth row from the front.
“I was in the coach when there was a buzz about bees invading the aircraft. It was only after I boarded through the rear door and took my seat that I saw what a large swarm it was. I had never seen bees from so close,” she said.
Soni took several pictures of the swarm with her BlackBerry, which she later mailed to Metro. “Once everyone knew that the bees couldn’t enter the aircraft, it was all about finding the best position to take pictures through the windows,” she said.
An in-flight announcement about the airport authorities taking steps to chase the bees removed any apprehension that the 170 passengers might have had about some of them entering the plane.
IndiGo crew had shut the front door and taken off the ladder to prevent the bees from getting inside immediately after the luggage loaders spotted the swarm around 9.20am and alerted the cockpit.
Boarding through the rear door was completed faster than normal with most passengers running up the ladder to get into the aircraft, an airline official said.
The bees dispersed within seconds of the fire tender spraying a gust of water towards the wing and the front door. The flight, originally scheduled to take off at 9.40am, left at 10.01am.
So could the bees have posed a threat to safety had the aircraft been in flight?
“Unlikely,” said Sarvesh Gupta, a senior pilot with Jet Airways. “Pilots conduct an external check before flying. So it is unlikely that a swarm of bees would go undetected. Even if that happens, the bees will be blown away when an A-320 clocks 250 to 300kmph, the usual speed during take-off.”
Monday’s was the second instance in less than a month of bees trying to nest in a parked plane at the airport, which used to have several colonies of them in the area where the Rs 2,600-crore integrated terminal has come up.
Last month, an Air India flight was delayed when a swarm of bees surrounded the luggage hold of the aircraft. But unlike on Monday, there was no passenger on board.
Airport officials called bees “a new addition” to reasons for flight disruptions at the city airport, where jackals and stray dogs on the runway have long been a threat to safety.
Forest department officials blamed felling and destruction of bee colonies to build the new terminal for Monday’s episode.
Calcutta airport is of course not the only one with a bee in its bonnet. In August, a swarm of migrating bees settled on the wing of a New York-bound Delta Airlines flight at Pittsburgh airport, causing a 47-minute delay.
A professional beekeeper was brought to gather the swarm settled on the Bombardier CRJ-700. Master beekeeper Stephen Repasky used a soft bristle brush and his bare hands to gently sweep the insects into containers for release later. Only one of his assistants received a sting, according to reports.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 6:31 am Post subject:

Dreamliner flight path
KARAN CHOUDHURY
The Telegraph: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120913/jsp/business/story_15971135.jsp

New Delhi, Sept. 12: Air India will initially ply the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on domestic routes, with flights on the Delhi-Calcutta route scheduled from September 22.
The aim is to make the pilots and crew familiar with the plane before it is assigned for international flights. The Dreamliner will debut on the Delhi-Chennai sector on September 19.
“Daily Delhi-Calcutta flights will start from September 22. The aircraft has to complete a certain number of hours on the domestic route before it is allowed to fly internationally and our pilots and crew members have to complete a certain number of hours on the aircraft as well,” chairman Rohit Nandan said.
The Dreamliner, which features roomier cabins, mood lighting, better on-board entertainment system and higher head clearance, has 238 economy and 18 business class seats.
Boeing says the plane consumes 15-20 per cent less fuel than an aircraft of the same size, substantially reducing fuel cost, which make up 40 per cent of an airline’s operational costs.
“It would be an opportunity for domestic travellers as they would enjoy the comforts of an aircraft that has been specifically brought in for long haul travel. After two months, the aircraft would only fly to destinations in Australia, the US and Europe,” civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said.
Singh said Air India would get five more Dreamliners by the end of this year and seven in 2013.
According to the civil aviation ministry, AI will need to add more planes to its fleet to expand its market share.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 1:05 am Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Behala airport - do you have anything on this apart from what one can get on the Wiki page, and some scattered news items? For instance, how `active' is the airport, does the biz-crowd patronise it, and so on?
Thanks, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:40 am Post subject:

Kolkata airport work in progress:

Official India Blooms News Service
http://www.indiablooms.com/NewsDetailsPage/2012/newsDetails150912a1.php

Kolkata, Sept 15 (IBNS) Work of the new terminal of Kolkata Airport is progressing at a good pace, said Civil Aviation secretary K.N.Shrivastava said in Kolkata on Saturday.

While interacting with the media persons, Shrivastava said that seven aerobridges for the terminal have already arrived and more are expected soon. He expressed the hope that the terminal would be operational soon.

Shrivastava while mentioning the recent declining growth of the aviation sector said that bringing down the operational cost and competition would help the sector grow faster.

With the spurt in economic activity in the eastern region, the Kolkata Airport would gain more importance and more airliners would be attracted to this area, he observed.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:09 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Thanks, Sabyasachi - this was very informative.
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:15 am Post subject:

Airport keeps tryst with flying dreams, past and present

TNN | Sep 27, 2012
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Airport-keeps-tryst-with-flying-dreams-past-and-present/articleshow/16565272.cms

KOLKATA: The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport kept a date with both the future and the distant past on Wednesday when only a few hours separated the landing and takeoff of planes from different eras.
When the mint-fresh futuristic B-787 Dreamliner from Seattle-based American plane manufacturer Boeing Co landed at the airport on Wednesday morning, just about every airline and airport official rushed to the tarmac to catch a glimpse of the world's most advanced aircraft. But when the Douglas DC-3 aircraft (manufactured between 1935 and 1942) took off earlier in the morning, there were few to bid goodbye to the plane that had revolutionized air transport and left a lasting impact on airline industry. Incidentally, the first plane to land at Kolkata airport was a Dakota-3 in 1924, a predecessor of the DC-3 that took off on Tuesday.
However, the historic fixed-wing propeller-driven airplane went unnoticed as Dreamliner, christened the ultimate flying machine, hogged the limelight. By the time the aircraft touched down at 4.20pm, the tarmac had turned into a fairground and posed CISF a huge challenge in crowd-control.
"Have you noticed the curvature of the wings? That is what adds to the aircraft's aerodynamics and makes it so fuel efficient," a private airline official told a colleague. "Isn't the flower-shaped engine a work of art? I haven't seen anything so beautifully crafted on a commercial jetliner," one engineer remarked to another.
When Sanjib Bezbaruah boarded flight AI 020 with 161 other passengers, he wasn't aware he was stepping into a new-generation plane that is billed to script a bold and bright new future for the ailing Air India. But the moment he stepped in, he knew it was very different from the unimpressive cabin that one usually encounters in AI planes.
"The interior was crisp and fresh. The first class seat reclined to form a flat bed. The windows were larger and could be electronically dimmed to keep the sun's glare away without blocking the view. The in-flight entertainment system had audio-video on demand. It will be great to fly in the plane when I travel on long-haul international business trips," said Bezbaruah.
The plane didn't just zap passengers. Even captain JM Joseph, who piloted the aircraft along with Boeing instructor Wayne Ridenor, and pilots Sumit Sabharwal and Sunil Simon, who kept a hawk eye on the controls, were all smiles when they alighted from the plane. "It's fun piloting the plane. It steers very neatly with hardly any drag. I had read that the plane is considerably lighter because it is made of titanium, aluminium and carbon composites. Flying it, one could sense how nifty it has made the plane," Joseph said.
Just over an hour later at 5.30pm, the plane took off with 246 for Delhi, this time rechristened flight AI 701. While the arriving flight connected with AI's London-Delhi service, the departing one will connect to the Delhi-New York flight.
"The Dreamliner will serve long-haul international routes once the pilots are trained and familiar with the controls in the new aircraft. Over the next three to four weeks, it will do domestic sectors like Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi," AI regional director R Dayal said.
Though there is no real possibility of AI introducing the Dreamliner in Kolkata on a more long-term basis, given that it hardly operates any international flights apart from connections to Nepal and Yangon, Dayal said the carrier was planning to reconnect Dhaka and Bangkok apart from evaluating new flights to Phuket in Thailand and Guangzhou in China. "The airline's turnaround plan entails a 30% capacity hike in the east and the northeast," he said after bidding Delhi and New York-bound passengers goodbye with rosebuds.
Hours earlier, when flight captain James, along with his co-pilot and two engineers, took off from Kolkata in the DC-3, there were only a few curious onlookers who marveled at the pre-World War II-era plane. The plane had stopped overnight to refuel after taking off from Ahmedabad. And it was headed to Bangkok.
"If the Dreamliner offered a peak into the future, the DC-3 was a blast from the past. It was a privilege to serve both the planes," said airport director BP Sharma. In a way, the planes reflected the contrast at Kolkata airport that is currently operating out of an old dilapidated building while the swanky new terminal is being readied for takeoff
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2012 6:51 pm Post subject:

Take off from main runway: http://youtu.be/evEttkD0XM4
Landing from southside and construction activity near south side of main runway: http://youtu.be/pOhWAxuoYzA , http://youtu.be/HhPtM3tzUaI
Landing on 19R overflying the mosque ( north side of secondary runway ) ; http://youtu.be/1g5YrF42_LY
Honey bees disrupt flights to Kolkata airport ( in Bengali subtitle ); http://youtu.be/U-fqpHIKjrs
Landing on North side of main runway (19L ): http://youtu.be/u_aFEPxapyg ,
A view of CCU ATC center on the day of bandh : http://youtu.be/-7qlIKtuTiQ
Bagdogra airport, apron view: http://youtu.be/W0ZGt1E32TA
Dreamliner landing in Kolkata : http://youtu.be/caZCFvLKcR0
Sneak peek at new terminal: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGSRLbK5gLXN7pydcYvCw1oIDSwxumSXedKf7q1iGndvWrN_la9w
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcStGIFa5dXbbdrPMyBl1Bdwl9ZMuKRnwjyk8EfErWOvICqV_Q6W
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT9l3BCQYALm3X1MBub2mLdo-3SpT5Hnmj0m87iB1HJk-sllInTJw
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-zwGNl3D5ZpT6LyQeTeUmgWyARokUlWI733kus-P2ovBHN4FH
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEd9YQW4in6l3d_ynExQjoUvfAelidwkporkehTN679p8XVmWH
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQFVRAQsAkKQVVotzH4YUHI2JCQfm45XjO9Sm7MacH1Uusleslv
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlV_f2o3XuBiejs269kQDUNQcgD2kMFt1ipPDA_zSUyq4h5xS_
Landing on main runway: http://youtu.be/NE8_AlyxD7M
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Sabya99

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Sabyasachi, is there any more information about that DC-3?
Thanks, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 6:37 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Great, Sabyasachi - you are lucky to even know about these wonderful birds still operating in the North East. Do you have any other information on this?
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 7:49 am Post subject:

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:34 pm Post subject:

Runway flock disrupts flights

A STAFF REPORTER
A flock of birds sitting on the secondary runway disrupted flights at the airport on Wednesday afternoon when the primary runway was closed for routine maintenance.
“Flights could not take off or land between 3.50pm and 4.05pm because a large flock of birds was sitting on the secondary runway and hovering around it. The birds had gathered in the area because grass was being cut in the vicinity,” said an airport official. When grass is trimmed, a lot of worms and insects emerge from the ground, attracting birds that feed on them.
Officials said trimming operations were necessary since grass grew quickly in monsoon.
The flock that Wednesday’s operation attracted was unusually large, said several officials.
Four Calcutta-bound flights could not land and had to hover in the air for 15 minutes while two flights about to take off had to be wait in the tarmac till the birds could be chased away.
A vehicle was driven down the secondary runway and firecrackers burst to remove the birds.
Airport officials said it was too risky to attempt to land or take-off with birds around.
“If there is a bird hit, the engine of the plane could get damaged,” said an official.
Bird hits are a constant threat at the city airport because feathered species feed on scrap generated at the markets that surround the premises.
The canteen run by the airport authorities close to the runway does not help either as birds gather there for leftovers. “We have requested the local civic body a number of times to move the markets some distance away but to no avail,” said an airport official.

The Telegraph : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1121011/jsp/calcutta/story_16076194.jsp

Latest update on Durgapore Airport project near Andal, West Bengal:

From http://www.bengalaero.com/

Passenger terminal building - 60% complete

Runway - 82% complete Very Happy

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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 3:50 pm Post subject:

January date for airport terminal
- Aerobridge hope for unveil

SANJAY MANDAL

The airport authorities are eyeing a January opening of the upcoming integrated terminal as the first lot of five aerobridges for the facility set sail from Indonesia late on Monday.
The first lot of the aerobridges — corridors connecting the terminal to the door of an aircraft — was set to arrive in the first week of August.
“Five aerobridges set sail from Jakarta late last night on a special ship. The consignment is expected to reach Calcutta in 15-18 days,” airport director B.P. Sharma told Metro on Tuesday.
It might take another four-five days for the aerobridges to be brought to the airport and a month for installation and trials before they are opened for full-scale operations.
Thirteen more aerobridges will come in phases.
“Now that we know for sure the aerobridges are on their way, we are planning for a January opening of the integrated terminal. Initially, the terminal will be operational partially with some international flights,” an Airports Authority of India official said from Delhi.
“To start with five aerobridges are enough and we won’t say no to shifting some of the airlines operating fewer flights to the new terminal,” said Captain Sarvesh Gupta, chairman, Airlines Operators’ Committee (east).
Late arrival of the aerobridges is a key reason why the Rs 23,000-crore integrated terminal has missed three deadlines — August and December, 2011, and March 2012 — and is set to miss the October 2012 target as well.
The 1,80,000sq m terminal has been designed in such a way that 80 per cent of the fliers will have to use aerobridges to board or get off an aircraft.
Metro had in July reported that the integrated terminal, which can handle an annual traffic of 20 million passengers and has gone through two trial runs, was unlikely to be unveiled before January.
The modernisation of the Delhi airport — a private initiative with a budget of Rs 12,700 crore — was wrapped up well before the deadline.
Construction of the pillars that will support the aerobridges are almost over, officials said.
Other major unfinished work includes setting up of check-in islands and signage, and installation of software for immigration and customs counters. The tendering process for airline lounges, food courts and commercial stalls is still on.

The Telegraph : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1121017/jsp/calcutta/story_16096436.jsp
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 4:03 am Post subject:

HAPPY DURGA PUJA TO ALL MY VISITORS:

Dreamliner landing and apron view at Kolkata airport : http://youtu.be/xH74K-DFqeA
Daytime landing at NSCBI airport : http://youtu.be/wbA5dJ5F0vg
Take off from Kolkata : http://youtu.be/Ea9XtnDXO60 , http://youtu.be/FRzXKuZgxTM
Bagdogra airport take off: http://youtu.be/isX5PPSA13g ; http://youtu.be/qb8eZSLAobI
Lush green landscape near the Kolkata airport : http://youtu.be/OC4eNm0PMcE
Inside view of current terminals: http://youtu.be/7h2LgKtXgss
Nite time take off: http://youtu.be/Nw91lBnh8sA
South side landing and apron view ( Extended secondary runway and turning pad view ):
http://youtu.be/UhAM0s1eE3c
A view of apron area : http://youtu.be/Q4PyzgBCnEc
Arrival area of the new terminal: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAaarN8p4g5pkspN2xqcDNMIPU7zTcErB87COmRCbPe7_JCsSj ; http://www.anandabazar.com/8cal1.jpg
Beauty of new terminal from outside : http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSAuOLSUpSfF8yXWi9Ponig0R3e9zJQ_0yPyDgFY-mIHz0nP1ww8w ; http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTl_MkkGCV8g6n1ZeKC_EwCio8FZJiE-7YMmrME7OmrwbBwpUE
Vedic Village resort near Kolkata airport: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQq6HVZLLOfgC5g8QSFgA-CUOfrTlY-7PN9OTUxVFdXQa68K_RL
Kolkata takeoff and nite time landing on main runway with a view of centerline and approach light system ( 19L): http://youtu.be/5W7Ed-VEb0U
New terminal airside: http://youtu.be/wmVSayTqJZ8
Construction of new terminal : http://youtu.be/-ltCUZPK0x8
Landing on south side of main runway with a view of extended secondary runway and turning pad: http://youtu.be/Ou4iM3KQiLE
A daytime cockpit view of main runway at NSCBI airport: http://youtu.be/P1pyY-U8JbI
Both runways are being used near simultaneously: http://youtu.be/Ou4iM3KQiLE
Front glass façade of new terminal: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1121017/images/16metairport7.jpg
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Sabya99

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

The_Goat · Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:05 pm Post subject:

sabya99 · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 4:54 am Post subject:

sabya99 · Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject:

Aerobridges for both Kolkata and Chennai have arrived from Indonesia.
Second lot of aerobridges for Chennai airport arrive at Kolkata port

P. Oppili and Sunitha Sekar

The second batch of three aerobridges imported from Indonesia, and meant for the new international terminal at Chennai airport, arrived at the Kolkata sea port on Thursday.
Chennai Airport Director H.S. Suresh said the current shipment carried many aerobridges meant for Kolkata airport, and the three for Chennai airport were sent along with it.
A total of 18 aerobridges will be installed at the integrated domestic and international terminals at the Kolkata airport.
Mr Suresh said: “The three aerobridges are expected to reach Chennai in about 10 days. It will take a minimum of three days to bring the various parts of the aerobridges from the sea port to outside the port. Then they will be transported to Chennai by road, which will take at least six days as the low-bed trailers have to cover 1,730 km from Kolkata to Chennai.”
Tenders floated
Airport sources said tenders had already been floated for beverages and duty-free shops and the last date for submitting tenders is Friday. As far as the inline baggage scanning system is concerned, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) floated a tender last week. The tenders for retail, advertising and the airport operation control centre (AOCC) are yet to be floated.
Two years ago, tenders were floated for the AOCC, but due to a problem, they were cancelled.
The AOCC is the nerve centre of modern terminals constructed by the AAI, manned by various agencies including the airport operator, representatives from Customs, airlines, Immigration, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Central Industrial Security Force.
A lot of work at the new terminal is still incomplete. Though AAI officials claimed that the new terminals would become operational by mid-December this year, sources confirmed that a lot of works was unfinished, and making the terminals operational would not be possible before March next year, provided the tendering formalities for AOCC, retail and advertisement were completed within the next two months.
The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/second-lot-of-aerobridges-for-chennai-airport-arrive-at-kolkata-port/article4032004.ece
Very Happy

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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 9:20 pm Post subject:

Air services to start from Purnea

Purnea, Oct 26:

Bihar’s Purnea district will be connected by air with Patna and Kolkata from the first week of November, with a private airline deciding to operate two flights a week.
The Bangalore-based Spirit Airlines has decided to operate a nine-seater plane on the two routes from November 6, General Manager R Saxena told reporters here.
He said flying time between Purnea and Patna would be around 50 minutes and to Kolkata about one-and-a-half hours.
The fare to Kolkata will be Rs 3,996 and to Patna Rs 3,498, he said.
The Hindu : http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/air-services-to-start-from-purnea/article4034839.ece
Comments: Hope they get sufficient passengers. Many years ago nearby Darbhanga was connected to Kolkata by Darbhanga Airway. I am not sure cargo only or passenger service also.
Purnea airbase of IAF: http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=25.7623911&lon=87.4162446&z=17&l=0&m=b
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 6:49 pm Post subject:

Kolkata airport finds place for 'forgotten' hero
Subhro Niyogi, TNN | Oct 18, 2012, 03.22AM IST

KOLKATA: If the swanky new integrated terminal was missing something, it was a symbol of the man after whom the airport was named. But come December, the terminal will get an 18-foot bronze statue of Subhash Chandra Bose, crafted by none other than Padmashri-awardee sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar.
Sutar's iconic works include the 45-foot Chambal monument at Gandhi Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh and the bust of Mahatma Gandhi, whose copies can be found in France, Italy, Argentina, Barbados, Russia, England and Italy. The biggest gallery where Sutar's works are on display is the Parliament where 16 statues of national leaders, each 18 feet tall, adorn its halls, corridors and grounds.
Commissioned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the statue will capture the revolutionary leader walking down the tarmac after alighting from an aircraft. "Subhas Bose will be in full Indian National Army attire with riding breeches and boots. The two gloves are off and clutched in his left hand. The stride is purposeful, the expression calm and confident," the sculptor told TOI.
The 3-tonne statue will be made in Sutar's studio in Noida. The completion deadline is December 10 so that it can be transported to Kolkata in a tractor by January 15, 2013, a week prior to Netaji's birthday on January 23 when the statue will be unveiled. The integrated terminal is also expected to be inaugurated that day. The roadblock to its commissioning is expected to be removed by mid-January when at least five aerobridges will be in place.
According to Ram Sutar's son Anil, also a sculptor, the work was commissioned only three weeks ago, a pointer to the belated decision to get the statue made for NSCBI Airport. Sources said the decision was triggered by comments from various quarters, including a section of employees, that there was nothing to represent Netaji at the new terminal in the very airport that bears his name. At present, a poorly executed bust of Netaji is there at the international terminal.
"The moment one steps into the new terminal, one is reminded of Rabindranath Tagore. The ceiling bears Bengali alphabets written in the manner the Poet Laureate did. There are photographs of Gurudev all over the terminal. Unfortunately, Netaji was conspicuous by his absence. We are glad that the AAI has decided to get a statue made by a leading artist to fill the missing link," said Airports Authority Employees Union president (eastern region) Dipankar Ghosh.
The statue will be installed at the southern end of the L-shaped terminal next to the departure level exit ramp. An artificial waterbody and a cascading fountain is part of the landscape designed around it. "The statue will capture the imagination of everyone who arrives in the city. It will be the crowning glory of the new terminal," an airport official said.
Though this is Sutar's maiden work for Kolkata, it isn't the first time he is trying his hand at Netaji. He made two 9-feet statues of Bose that are installed in Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh and at an institute named after Netaji in Dwarka, Delhi. Like in the past, Sutar is using 2-dimension photographs of the leader to create the 3-dimension statue.
"As artists, we are using as many archival photographs of Netaji, including those at Press Information Bureau, as we can lay our hands on. Unfortunately, the quality of photographs is not very good," Anil said.
He already got a 3-ft fiberglass model of the statue approved by civil aviation minister Ajit Singh on October 5 and plans to get a nod from Mamata Banerjee as well before casting the bronze statue using the lost wax process. The statue will be molded in 10 parts before being welded together. "AAI officials have sought an appointment with the CM and I will take the statue to Kolkata to show it to her," said Anil.
Source ; Times of India ; http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Kolkata-airport-finds-place-for-forgotten-hero/articleshow/16858006.cms
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 7:43 am Post subject:

First lot of aerobridges reaches Kolkata airport

TNN | Nov 2, 2012, 04.15AM IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/First-lot-of-aerobridges-reaches-Kolkata-airport/articleshow/17055782.cms

KOLKATA: Finally, the first lot of aerobridges has arrived at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. To be installed at the new integrated terminal, its delay led to the postponement of the terminal's commissioning.
According to the Airports Authority of India, the five aerobridges reached the airport in the wee hours of Thursday after tractor trailers set off from Kolkata Port around 7.30pm on Wednesday. The aerobridges, being transported in sections, were shipped from Jakarta by manufacturer BT Bukaka Teknik Utama on October 15 and reached Kolkata Port on October 24, Dashami. The precious freight was unloaded two days later and it was finally loaded on trailers only on October 31 after Customs formalities were completed.
The second consignment of aerobridges is expected later this month followed by a third one next month. AAI sources said installation and trails are expected to be completed within January 15, a week ahead of the terminal's scheduled inauguration on January 23.
Officials of airlines were delighted to see the huge crates bearing the elusive aerobridges at the airport on Thursday.
"Now that the final missing component of the terminal has arrived, we can look forward to the terminal's speedy completion and its takeoff," said Airlines Operators' Committee chairman (east) Sarvesh Gupta.
Though there is a provision for 15 aerobridges at the integrated terminal, airlines are willing to move in once the first lot is in operation. "Five aerobridges will be inadequate to serve all flights during rush-hour traffic. But the situation can be managed as the shift to the new terminal will be in a phased manner. By the time the next batch of airlines shift, the second lot of aerobridges would arrive," Gupta added.
Of the five aerobridges that have reached the airport, three will be installed in the domestic and two in the international section. The old domestic terminal has three aerobridges while the international terminal has only one such facility. Aerobridges allow direct passenger transfer between the terminal and the aircraft, cutting down boarding and alighting time, saving costs and protecting passengers from the elements and unexpected incidents like bee attacks. Very Happy

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Sabya99

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 7:11 am Post subject:

Faulty landing lights in airport baffle pilots

Subhro Niyogi, TNN | Nov 11, 2012, 02.21AM IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Faulty-landing-lights-in-airport-baffle-pilots/articleshow/17175519.cms

KOLKATA: Over the past fortnight, over a dozen incoming flights to Kolkata have abandoned approach and pulled out at the last minute. In each instance, the pilot complained of malfunction in a critical visual landing guidance system installed at the southern end of the secondary runway. But with airport authorities insisting all is well despite a flurry of complaints, directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has asked Airports Authority of India (AAI) to get the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) recalibrated.
According to sources, the problem surfaced around two weeks ago when the primary runway was shut down for routine maintenance work. The pilot of a private airline, who was directed to approach the secondary runway from the south, veered away after the readings on the distance measuring equipment (DME) failed to match the indicators on PAPI. While DME tells pilot the distance between the aircraft and the runway, PAPI is a visual reference for the pilot to know the position of the aircraft relative to the guideslope or descent coordinate of the runway.
"Initially, all seemed normal when the pilot aligned the aircraft to the runway and began making a descent. A controller was in constant touch with him over VHF radio as the secondary landing strip does not have instrument landing system that allows pilots flying modern aircraft to simply lock on to the fly-by-wire system during the final approach and sit back while the plane lands automatically. When he was a minute away from touchdown, the pilot said exclaimed the PAPI showed he was flying lower than the desired altitude in the guideslope and would fall short of the runway if he continued the descent. He then pulled away from the landing procedure. When the controller asked him to go around and make a fresh approach in case there was a mistake, the pilot refused, saying the problem was either in the DME or PAPI alignment and that he did not feel confident to land on the secondary runway. We had no option but to stop repair work on the primary runway and clear it for the plane to land," a source said.
When other pilots also reported similar aberration in PAPI, the ATC shifted operations to the primary runway, shutting the secondary landing strip. While all landing strips have PAPI, the instrument becomes even more critical when there is no ILS.
A glitch in PAPI can lead to a faulty approach that can be a big risk and even cause an aircraft to crash. The PAPI itself consists of a light array positioned beside the runway. Comprising four equi-spaced light units colour coded to provide visual indication, the pilot knows he is on the right path when he spots two white lights on the inside and two red lights on the outside. When he sees four red lights, it indicates that the aircraft is lower than the desired altitude and will fall short of the runway . Four white lights indicate he is higher than the desired altitude.
When he views four white lights, it indicates that he is higher than the desired altitude and will overshoot the runway.
Though the pilots have had no problem approaching the secondary runway from north, a strong northerly wind during winter months forces operations to move to the south to avoid a strong tailwind.
Realizing the alignment of PAPI had gone haywire, perhaps during the runway's extension work, ATC officials asked AAI to check the lights and rectify the problem. The latter claims it got PAPI checked by airfield management and communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) staff but found nothing wrong with the crucial instrument. Yet, the problem recurred when the primary runway was shut down the next time. It happened on November 7 and again on November 9.
"We know there is a problem but the airport will not acknowledge it. Unless PAPI is recalibrated, we will not use the secondary runway," a pilot said. Pilots of other airlines, too, said they would not risk landing on the secondary runway at present.
Sensing that operations at Kolkata airport may have to be shut down if the primary runway is not available, DGCA had asked AAI to get its aircraft to calibrate PAPI and fix the situation. Sources said the aircraft had been requisitioned and could arrive anytime next week.
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Sabya99

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Which aircraft does the AAI use to calibrate the PAPI setup?
Thanks, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:44 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Sabyasachi, I think you missed my question. Does the AAI have an aircraft of its own to perform the calibration, and if so, which one is it? Or does it take an aircraft from loan from elsewhere, and if so, which one is it, again?
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:35 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 8:59 pm Post subject:

jbalonso777 · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 9:32 pm Post subject:

Although many people have seen it, please feel free to use my picture linls for further info on this thread Smile

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http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:58 pm Post subject:

sabya99 · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:33 am Post subject:

CCEA approves addl funds for Kolkata international airport

http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/companies/ccea-approves-addl-funds-for-kolkata-international-airport_64938.html

New Delhi: Government Thursday approved additional funds for the development of the integrated passenger terminal building at the Kolkata international airport expected to be inaugurated in January.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,325 crore for the modernisation and expansion of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata (NSCBI) including construction of an integrated terminal building, an official release said.

In July 2008, the CCEA had approved Rs 1,942.51 crore for the project, cost of which had increased based on award of certain packages of work, by competitive bidding and review of scope of certain works.

The airport is likely to be inaugurated on January 23 on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

The revised estimated cost of the work of Rs 2,325 crore will be met through internal resources and borrowings, the release said.

Term loan assistance of Rs 986 crore-- about 42 percent of project cost -- has been considered at 10 percent interest rate per annum with nine years repayment period including moratorium period of two years, the release said.

The ratio between internal resources and borrowings has been revised at 58:42 to fund the project.

Work on the Integrated Passenger Terminal Building was completed in August except Zone-I of the building, which forms the extreme end of the domestic portion of the integrated terminal.

The zone-I is expected to be completed by next month.

The planned annual handling capacity of four million passengers on international side of the integrated terminal is expected to get saturated in 2023-24, the release said.

Similarly, the domestic side having annual handling capacity of 16 million is expected to get saturated in 2015-16, it added.

The total international passenger traffic handled grew at the rate of three percent up to 2008-09,
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 11:43 pm Post subject:

Dragonair may soon start flying daily from Kolkata to Hong Kong

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/dragonair-may-soon-start-flying-daily-from-kolkata-to-hong-kong/article4123783.ece

Kolkata, Nov 22:
Dragonair is likely to launch daily flights between Kolkata and Hong Kong in about six months’ time.
“We would love to increase that (frequency of flights between Kolkata and Hong Kong) But, I think, we will do it once we have the opportunity. Normally, for new operations we look at six months. We are hopeful of starting services from Kolkata before too long,” Patrick Yeung, Chief Executive Officer of Dragonair told Business Line on Thursday.
The Hong Kong headquartered carrier — a sister concern of Cathay Pacific Airways — recently launched four days a week direct flights between Kolkata and Hong Kong.
The airline is running 158-seater Airbus A320 flights on the Kolkata—Hong Kong route. “So far, the loads on the flight have been fantastic. We have been operating nearly full from Kolkata,” Yeung added.
Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific is likely to begin its flights to and from Hyderabad from December 2 . The company will operate four flights a week to Hong Kong from the city. “By December 2, we will fly into Hyderabad,” Tom Wright, General Manager in charge of South Asia, Middle East and Africa operations of Cathay Pacific, said.
ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in
abhishek.l@thehindu.co.in
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 5:41 am Post subject:

Airports Authority of India suspends landings on secondary runway

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Airports-Authority-of-India-suspends-landings-on-secondary-runway/articleshow/17366979.cms
Nov 26, 2012, 04.05 AM IST

KOLKATA: The Airports Authority of India has decided to suspend all landings on the secondary runway following persistent pilot complaints of a malfunction in a critical visual landing guidance system. Consequently, repair work on the primary runway will have to be done in the dead of the night when there are no touchdowns scheduled.
The problem in the precision approach path indicator (PAPI) was first reported by a cargo flight on November 2 when readings on the distance measuring equipment (DME) failed to match the indicators on PAPI and he pulled out of the landing sequence.
PAPI consists of four equally spaced light units next to the runway that are colour coded to provide visual indication. The pilot knows he is on the right glide path when he spots two white lights on the inside and two red lights on the outside. Four red lights mean the aircraft is lower than the desired altitude and will fall short of the runway while four white lights mean the plane is high and will overshoot the runway.
Though the apron control and technicians checked the lights before directing other planes to use the landing strip when the primary runway was under maintenance, 26 of the 40 pilots that approached the secondary runway said they had a problem with the PAPI. Following this, landings on the secondary runway were suspended. Sources, however, said Kolkata airport authorities continued to put pressure on the use of the runway for landing so that the primary runway could be free for maintenance.
On Friday, four flights were officially brought in to land to test the system. While three pilots said they did not have a problem, one did. According to airport sources, officials from AAI headquarters in Delhi have now asked Kolkata airport to stop using the secondary runway for landing till the problem is identified and solved.
Sources said the alignment of PAPI could have gone haywire during the runway extension work. "There is some problem that needs to be rectified because PAPI is such a crucial system. Unless a pilot is confident about the system, how can he risk landing with a plane full of passengers?" questioned an airline official.
What is mystifying is why AAI has not got its aircraft requisitioned till now to do a calibration of PAPI. Since it is a test aircraft, it can do multiple landings on the secondary runway and check if the lights are in position or not. Sources said Kolkata airport officials may now be forced to finally get the aircraft as primary runway repair work is currently being hampered due to restrictions. This runway can now be shut down only between 1.30am and 5am when no scheduled fights arrive in Kolkata.

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Sabya99

jbalonso777 · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 5:06 pm Post subject:

People -
I hope you all are following 'gabrielchew's Autumn Asia series TRs on Airliners.net
I have a very slow internet connection, so I cannot see the pictures, but there are 2 TRs about CCU; one of them being 9W DAC-CCU and the other one being AI CCU-DEL.

He has also covered CCU-IXB-CCU on SG and S2 previously.

Regards
Jishnu
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http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:59 pm Post subject: