Airliners-India.com

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 10:54 pm Post subject:

Bengal’s first private airport to be ready early next year

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/bengals-first-private-airport-to-be-ready-early-next-year/article5068527.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy

Kolkata, Aug. 28:
Bengal’s first private airport at the industrial town of Durgapur may be operational only by early next year.
Promoted by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) — a JV between Changi Airports International (26 per cent) and four Indian companies — the commissioning of the airport is held up due to delay in shifting an electricity transmission line passing through the runway. According to a BAPL statement, rest of the construction is near complete.
Though the West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (WBSETCL) allowed BAPL to shift the transmission facility, construction work is inordinately delayed due to local resistance to land acquisition, according to sources.
“We estimate that the high-voltage power transmission line will be re-aligned within this calendar year, immediately after which we will initiate the process for final stage DGCA approval,” a BAPL official told Business Line. The company previously promised commissioning of the airport by early 2013.
According to Arun Mishra, Director, General Civil Aviation, shifting of the high-voltage power transmission line is the primary condition before BAPL.
“We have done an inspection at the upcoming Durgapur airport months back. BAPL has to fulfil certain compliances before DGCA issues them a licence,” Mishra said.
Once the transmission line is shifted, other procedures can be completed in a short span of time, he added. Besides, according to Mishra, BAPL has to form a tie-up with Airports Authority of India for air traffic control system.
BAPL is in talks with a few airlines to introduce services at the Durgapur airport, which is projected to tap the potential of the Durgapur-Asansol industrial area.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:24 am Post subject:

Biman to double Kolkata-Dhaka flights

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/biman-to-double-kolkatadhaka-flights/article5082639.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy

Dubai, Sep 1:
Biman, the flag carrier of Bangladesh, will double the number its flights on the Kolkata-Dhaka sector and also connect the Indian metropolis with its port city of Chittagong from November using small planes, a top official of the airline has said.
“We are keen to increase our connectivity with India and use up the bilateral rights. But we don’t have enough planes. So, when I get the delivery of two turboprop jets, which are expected soon, we will connect Dhaka and Chittagong with Kolkata. This should happen by November,” Biman Managing Director and Chief Executive Kevin John Steele told PTI here.
Steele, who was in Dubai to receive the ‘Asia’s most promising brands’ award, instituted by the World Consumer Research Corporation (WCRC), said he would also double the existing capacity to Kolkata from Dhaka apart from connecting it with Chittagong. Biman flies five times a week to Kolkata and twice to New Delhi from Dhaka.
The WCRC celebrated as many as 200 brands, picked from 5,000 entries. Though named Asia’s most promising brands, the entries in the first round were only from India, which dominated the list, and a few from Bangladesh and Dubai/UAE. Even all the UAE/Dubai brands were also owned by NRIs.
Steele said Biman, launched a year after the independence of the country in 1972 and operates with eight aircraft, now connects 11 international routes. It has already ordered 10 more wide bodied aircraft to replace its aging Airbus and B-777 fleet.
He also said Biman is looking at leasing more Boeing and Airbus planes. Steele ruled out increasing the frequency between New Delhi-Dhaka saying he doesn’t have planes.
The official however, said he will be more than doubling his fleet size in the next two years to 18 from the present eight planes.
Sounding bullish on the aviation business, despite the recent flare-up in oil prices, Steele said, he expects the airline to break even by next year and to be profitable by 2014-15. He also said the airline is likely to close the year with a loss of $25 million, down from $50 million last year
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Sabya99

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

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 4:55 am Post subject:

CM tells minister to clear Army base hurdle

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/CM-tells-minister-to-clear-Army-base-hurdle/articleshow/22241858.cms

KALIMPONG: The hurdle over land acquisition for the country's largest Army aviation corps base is set to be cleared. The base will stretch over nearly 670 acres in Sarugaon and Damdim in Jalpaiguri district.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee met GOC of the Sukna-based 33 Corps at the Kalimpong Circuit House on Monday evening. At the hour-long meeting, which North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb described as fruitful, the CM is learnt to have given her final clearance for the strategic project and asked Deb and others to facilitate acquisition of the land, which comprises mainly waste land and tea garden.

Lt General K J Singh, commander of the 33 Corps, was accompanied by senior staff members. The meeting was also attended by top police and administrative officials. The project had run into the usual land acquisition hurdle, but with the Army pointing out that at least 10,000 jobs would be generated for the local people from the project, the CM showed keen interest in clearing the hurdles.

The base, which in Army parlance is termed a 'composite aviation base', will house fixed wing fighters and transport aircrafts as well as helicopters and, at a later stage, unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. The Army will invest Rs 1,322 crore on building this base for the new strike corps being raised for the Chinese frontiers along Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

Comments: At last Miss Mamota coming into senses!
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Sabya99

Nimish · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 12:36 pm Post subject:

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

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:16 pm Post subject:

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:15 am Post subject:

Panagarh gears up for role in Arunachal's defence
Jayanta Gupta, TNN | Sep 4, 2013,

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Panagarh-gears-up-for-role-in-Arunachals-defence/articleshow/22298938.cms

KOLKATA: The establishment was developed by the US army during World War II for what is known as the 'Over the Hump' operations against the Japanese. Today, after nearly 70 years, Panagarh in Burdwan is well on its way into being developed as a hub that will deal with the defences of states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). With routine incursions by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) reported from Arunachal Pradesh, the process to develop Panagarh has been expedited by the Army and Indian Air Force.

Recently, Air Marshal Ravi Kant Sharma, AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command, visited Air Force Station Panagarh and reviewed the situation there. The second lot of C-130J Super Hercules, that are to be procured by the IAF soon, will be stationed at Panagarh. Induction of the C-130J at Panagarh — the second squadron after the Veiled Vipers at Hindon — will enable IAF to mobilise troops to the forward eastern front in the shortest possible time. Lockheed Martin will build necessary infrastructure for the aircraft at Panagarh, as part of the package.

"During his visit to Panagarh, the Eastern air commander emphasized that the air base — used as a diversionary one till recently by the IAF — is of great strategic importance. The base is being developed as one of the major flying bases in the Eastern Air Command, he said. He also urged that officers and air warriors at Panagarh adopt a pro-active approach to ensure timely completion of infrastructure development for the Super Hercules," an officer said.

At the same time, advanced landing grounds in Arunachal Pradesh like Tuting, Mechuka, Ziro, Aalo, Pasighat, Walong, Tawang and Vijaynagar are also being upgraded to allow the C-130Js to land with troops and material. "Now that the Globemasters have also been inducted into the IAF, mobilization of troops and equipment, including tanks, will be fast. Force multipliers like mid-air refuellers will provide necessary assistance," another officer said.

With the Cabinet Committee on Security approving the Army's proposal to raise a Mountain Strike Corps, prepartions are also on to develop infrastructure for the 45,000 officers and personnel at Panagarh. Senior officers of the Eastern command have already carried out aerial reconnaissance of the existing base at Panagarh to work out details. The Corps' primary responsibility will be to remain prepared for any offensive strike by the PLA across the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Given the lack of infrastructure on the ground on the Indian side, an aerial approach is of great importance. The PLA has held several exercises in TAR in recent months, conveying to India its preparedness for high-altitude combat.

"The Corps should get fully operational from Panagarh within the next few years. It will have two infantry divisions, each with nearly 15,000 men trained in mountain warfare. The infantry brigades in the Corps will also be able to operate independently and mount offensive action across the LAC if required, with helicopter lift and attack support. It will also have an aviation brigade, three artillery brigades, an air defence brigade and an engineering one," the officer added.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:36 pm Post subject:

Night flight test for Bagdogra

AVIJIT SINHA

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130905/jsp/siliguri/story_17312381.jsp

Siliguri, Sept. 4: Private airline SpiceJet will operate night flights from Bagdogra to Calcutta daily from October 1 as a trial for night landing, airport officials said today.
The flights would operate till October 26 after which the company would decide on continuing the service.
Officials said SpiceJet responded to a letter by the Airports Authority of India that urged several airlines to operate evening flights to and from Bagdogra.
The letter from Moin Wasil, DGM (airport services), SpiceJet, from Chennai, said the Calcutta flight would reach Bagdogra at 9.40am and it would return at 10.10am. The Delhi flight will arrive at Bagdogra at 8.25am and take off for Delhi via Guwahati at 8.55am.
In the evening, a flight from Calcutta will reach Bagdogra at 7pm and depart for Calcutta 7.30pm. Another flight from Delhi via Calcutta will land at Bagdogra at 5.55pm and take off for Delhi via Calcutta at 6.25pm. The flight will reach Delhi at 10.30pm.
SpiceJet already has three flights daily to and from Bagdogra. With the addition of the four, it will operate seven flights in October.
“Yesterday, we received a letter from SpiceJet in which it mentioned that it intends to run morning and evening flights between Calcutta and Bagdogra and Delhi and Bagdogra on a trial basis. They would launch the flights between Calcutta and Bagdogra on October 1 while flights between Delhi and Bagdogra would start operating from October 7,” K.K. Bhowmik, the airport director of Bagdogra, said today.
Bhowmik added that the letter was sent to all airlines after the Indian Air Force, which maintains the ATC and runway in Bagdogra, gave permission for night landing. Earlier, flights were allowed till 6pm only.
“Passengers from Bagdogra can take both morning and evening flights to Calcutta and Delhi. Once the flights are introduced, one can reach Delhi even at 10.30pm. Those who plan to go to Calcutta for a day can take the morning flight, reach Calcutta at 9.40am and take the return flight to Bagdogra at 6pm. People travelling to Calcutta in the evening will have two options as the Delhi flight will also go via Calcutta,” Bhowmik said.
The official met chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the Bagdogra airport when she was on her way to Calcutta this afternoon and informed her about the development.
“The chief minister appreciated the step and said she was eagerly waiting to see evening flights operate from Bagdogra. This option would boost the economy and communication of north Bengal, she told us,” Bhowmik said.
Residents of north Bengal, Sikkim and Bihar have been demanding evening flights between Bagdogra and the metros of the country for a long time.
Now the last flight leaves Bagdogra around 3.30pm.
The first flight takes off from Bagdogra for Delhi at 10.10am. A Calcutta-bound plane departs at 12.10pm.
North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb today said: “It was a longstanding demand of the people of north Bengal. We expect that more companies, which run flights from Bagdogra during the day, will come with similar proposals.”
Tour operators feel more flights would mean more tourists coming into the region.
“Introduction of morning and evening flights means the inflow of passengers, and also tourists, would increase in the region. The tourism industry would surely benefit from this new service, which would be introduced just before the Durga Puja holidays,” Raj Basu, a veteran in the tourism industry, said. “We are keeping our fingers crossed and we hope that the situation in the hills normalises so that we can have a booming tourist season.”
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 12:55 am Post subject:

Description of NSCBI airport lounge in www.airindia.com

City Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
Lounge Name Clipper Lounge , Port Lounge
Location Terminal No:2 (t2), Departure Level On The Floor Of Inside Security Hold Area .clipper Lounge At Domestic Side & Port Lounge At International Side.
Available For Clipper Lounge For Domestic Passengers & Port Lounge For International Passengers
Access to VIPS, CIPS, Golden Edge Members,executive Class Passengers Only.
Facilities Available At Clipper Lounge
• 2 LED TV
• Free WIFI
• Charging point
• News papers
• Magazines
• Premium liquor
• variety of appetisers(veg & nveg)
• tea
• coffee
• soft drinks
• Business Centre
• hot chocolate. Capacity : 122 passengers
At PORT LOUNGE
• 3 LCD TV
• Free WIFI
• Charging point
• News papers
• Magazines
• Premium liquor
• variety of appetisers(veg & nveg)
• tea
• coffee
• soft drinks
• Business Centre
• hot chocolate. Capacity : 75 passengers
Operating Hours Clipper Lounge : From 5 AM TO 9 PM
Port Lounge: From 9 AM TO 9 PM
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Sabya99

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

Dr. Ganguly, I am at Calcutta right now. Some points here, I will write a complete TR with pictures, too. I flew in yesterday, 06 Sep'13 (Fri).
- I came in on AI 020, an international `connector' from DEL T3 to CCU T2 (both sides Int'l). Jam-packed Dream)liner in Economy at least, with most passengers connecting from the AI 112 LHR flight. Hardly 5 empty seats. Some onwards passengers to DAC, connecting through CCU. AI don't have their CCU-DAC flight on Fri and Wed, which otherwise connects well to this flight.
- VT-ANL, the `cancellation/annul' plane. Great condition, lovely lunch, nice IFE content. Crew: very senior+very fresh: were very pleasant with pax.
- Two AI B744s outside the old international terminal. Haj operations.
- CCU T2 Int'l looks a bit dark, and some corners and glass panes(!) hadn't been cleaned well. The toilets were very clean. Signage insufficient. Mr. B P Sharma has some work on his hands. While this is a sea change over the previous dump, it pales a bit in comparison with some new airport terminals in India, handling similar traffic figures, or more
- The Tagore handwriting on the ceiling is a work of art. This has been done as a false ceiling, with rods of two colours. This looks very arty.
- We got an aero-bridge, and the bags came out after about 10 minutes of waiting.
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2013 4:18 pm Post subject:

Sumantra, thanks for the input. Do you still think CCU-Del-LHR daily Dreamliner flight will be commercially nonviable ? I think other way. When you come back from CCU could you please keep an eye on Emirates passenger load. Also do you have any information about the future use of old international terminal ? Will it only be used for Haj flights? Also whats going on with the domestic terminal and how it is integrated with T2? Have fun in Kolkata!
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Sabya99

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

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

I'm back. Some quick notes.
- CCU T2 Domestic is very nice!
- There is no formal join right now with the old T1-Domestic: I went right up to the point where I went with Junior on 26 Jan'13, albeit from the other side (T1-Domestic). Right now, there is a solid wall. There is some construction, but on the inside of T2 Domestic.
- AI 701: we got the `New Hope' plane, AI's first Dream)liner. It was in good condition, clean, with some nice food on board, and a good choice of programmes on the PTVs, different from what I got on my inbound.
- AI 701 was near jam-packed. There would have been at most 10 empty seats in Y. It docked at CCU T2 Int'l as AI 020, and domestic pax for AI 701 were taken to the Int'l gate (cordoned off).
- When we got down at DEL, there were announcements for connections to the AI DXB, NRT and ATQ flights. There were a few passengers connecting to NRT (yes, in the opposite direction), but the total number of connecting passengers was less than 10. So, this was primarily an O&D flight, on which AI seems to be getting decent traffic. Note that the NRT and DXB connections were tight (the flight came in a bit late), but AI ensured the connections.
- CCU had some excellent weather! It was cool, and rainy.
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 1:27 am Post subject:

@ Sumantra, is the old domestic terminal currently being used? I have seen pictures of aircraft parked along the aerobridges. I think AAI should not abandon this terminal and could be used for NE flights or budget carriers!
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Sabya99

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

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 6:54 pm Post subject:

Explain drone use, Bangladesh tells India

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/356261/explain-drone-use-bangladesh-tells.html

Bangladesh has sought clarification from India regarding New Delhi's plan to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along the Bangladesh border, a media report said Tuesday.

The move came in the wake of reports in the Indian media that suggested India's Border Security Force's (BSF) planned to deploy the drones along the borders of Pakistan and Bangladesh to keep a heightened vigil.

"The plan to deploy UAVs is picking up pace... We are actively pursuing it and would like to use them not only on the western border but also on the eastern border with Bangladesh," the Daily Star quoted BSF Director General Subhash Joshi as telling the Indian media.

The newspaper report said Dhaka has sought official clarification from New Delhi on the matter.
“We have officially taken (this) up with the Indian authorities seeking a clarification on it,” the report quoted Shameem Ahsan, director general (external publicity) of the Bangladesh foreign ministry, as saying.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 5:39 pm Post subject:

New departure area : http://youtu.be/9iL21zFKeZ0 Travel guide to Kolkata and north east India; http://youtu.be/yQPPYABhWVc Early morning departure on a foggy day: http://youtu.be/kj-7wnvWYQ4
Airport taxi by touch screen : http://youtu.be/FTGqZwKEGD8
Nite time landing on main runway : http://youtu.be/ca731e_F0vY ; http://youtu.be/P-QalqmuRRM These are from south side landings : http://youtu.be/3fhDNuwv960 ; http://youtu.be/uX6SZYI8olI
Airport and the city after dark : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkB8I9mlfnA Top ten airports of INDIA : http://youtu.be/DUpOZWsPaYA Activities at Kolkata airport : http://youtu.be/9u4wMAlOKo4 New Kolkata airport arrival area : http://youtu.be/AjYRMzrnQ-o Landing at Kolkata airport from south side : http://youtu.be/QPYWcIyCyHk Dreamliner touch down at Kolkata airport : http://youtu.be/SDn4S71oT3U
Take off from Kolkata airport and a view of Howra bridge : http://youtu.be/WbdTSDCvjh0 , http://youtu.be/NVYosDbgKNM World’s first flying eye hospital now visiting CCU : http://youtu.be/hCJeMAR1FKo
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Sabya99

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

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:26 pm Post subject:

Sumantra, thanks for the input. I heard of Orbis but now forgotten. This flying eye hospital used to visit CCU routinely in earlier days!
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 6:15 pm Post subject:

Dragonair Increases Flights from Kolkata to Hong Kong

08 May 2013

Dragonair today announced that it will operate an extra service between Kolkata and Hong Kong from 4 October 2013. The additional service will bring the total number of flights between the two cities from four to five flights per week, giving passengers greater flexibility for travel to Hong Kong and onward to other destinations through the extensive global network of Dragonair and its sister airline, Cathay Pacific.

Flights from Kolkata to Hong Kong were launched in November 2012. Dragonair and Cathay Pacific will now operate a total of 47 passenger flights and 21 freighter flights per week between Hong Kong and six major gateways in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
http://www.dragonair.com/ka/en_IN/about-us/media-centre/press-release/2013/dragonair-increases-flights-from-kolkata-to-hong-kong.html
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 3:45 pm Post subject:

New stance gives wing to Andal Airport dream

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/New-stance-gives-wing-to-Andal-dream/articleshow/22723083.cms

ANDAL (DURGAPUR): Exactly five years after Mamata Banerjee's strident opposition to farmland acquisition drove away the Nano car factory from Singur in Hooghly, the mercurial politician who is now the state chief minister will anoint an airport city project at Burdwan's Andal that is being developed on a land parcel twice the size of the abandoned Tata Motors site.

The CM is scheduled to visit the newly-developed airport on Thursday — the first such privately built greenfield facility in the region — and christen it Kavi Nazrul Islam Airport after the Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary. Singapore airport developer Changi is a stakeholder in the project.

Mamata's visit is all the more significant because it marks her new and pragmatic approach on private investment and land acquisition. Till as recently as a year ago, her government was at odds with the airport project being developed on land acquired during the Left Front regime, leading to fears that it may get shelved midway.

Incidentally, acquisition for the 1,820-acre land spread across 11 moujas of Andal began in December 2008, barely two months after the Nano plant's exit. And while the farmers' resistance to farmland acquisition at Singur and Nandigram attracted the global media and catapulted Mamata's political career to a sharp ascent graph culminating in her victory, the acquisition at Andal went unnoticed as land owners willingly sold their infertile plots to pursue an urban dream.

In fact, those who gave up land became rich overnight. Already employed with Sail, ECL or the Railways, most of them not keen in agriculture were happy to part with their land for a lucrative pay. As 73-year-old Nripen Bakshi of Khandra pointed out, people living in the vicinity of Durgapur have always wanted urbanization and the benefits that come with it.

"Unlike people in Singur or Nandigram who are dependant on land, we have worked in industries and our children are employed there now. Cities and factories are a reality for us, not some pipedream," explained 55-year-old Dhiren Mondal of Dhankshinkhanda.

Mamata, who drew flak in the first 24 months in power for acting more like an opposition leader than a CM, seems to have adopted a refreshingly new approach post August 2, 2013 when she wooed India Inc in Mumbai.

Consequently, the airport city project at Andal is now palatable. In a bid to woo airlines, Mamata announced a waiver of sales tax on aviation turbine fuel for Andal, Bagdogra and Cooch Behar airports, shortly after the hardsell in Mumbai.

On its part, project promoters Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) has allowed the state government through West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation to allot 20% of the 650-acre industrial park and provide preferential allotment to IT firms suggested by the state at the 150-acre IT park.

With work on the airport nearing completion, the focus will soon shift to the city in the making that will develop as a satellite township to both Durgapur and Asansol. The 650-acre airport is the nucleus of the airport city project that will also house an integrated township and an industrial and logistics hub. The township with contain residential blocks, hospitals, schools, markets, hotels, sporting venues, shops, offices and retail centers.

The Aerotropolis project is expected to draw investment of Rs 12,000 crore and provide 40,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities. When complete, it will be home to nearly 15,000 people.

Bengal Sristi chairman Hemant Kanoria felt the airport would go a long way in establishing the second city in Bengal. "Most major states including Maharastra, Gujarat, Kerala and Karnataka have multiple tier-I cities. But in Bengal, there is only Kolkata. The potential for a second metropolis exists in Asansol-Durgapur. The new airport can be the catalyst. We are investing in lifestyle apartment complexes, row house township, a world trade centre and commercial developments in Asansol and Durgapur because we believe it is poised to take the next big leap," said Kanoria.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 4:30 pm Post subject:

Bid sought for airport facilities
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130921/jsp/calcutta/story_17373871.jsp

The Airports Authority of India on Friday invited bids to operate and manage the facilities at Calcutta airport.
The selected private bidder or concessionaire would be given the contract to run the cityside and part of the airside of the airport, said an official. “The company will hire agencies to run various facilities and will oversee the operations.”
The shortlist of concessionaires for Calcutta, Guwahati and Jaipur airports will be announced on November 25, 20 and 11, respectively. The corresponding bid dates are January 21, 14 and 7.
Metro had earlier reported that the AAI would hire concessionaires to set up several facilities.
According to an official, the selected private parties would have to invest Rs 700 crore, Rs 600 crore and Rs 550 crore for carrying out work at Calcutta, Guwahati and Jaipur airports, respectively.
The cityside of an airport has airline offices, passenger amenities such as retail stores, food courts and duty free areas, and other facilities. The airside is the area beyond security control, accessible only to the airport staff and passengers.
Sources said the bids are being invited as part of the process to allow private parties to pick up 100 per cent equity in operation and management of the airports through public-private partnership.
“But the model will be different from that of Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore airport, where the private operator had built the airport from scratch. In Calcutta, the new terminal has been built by the AAI,” an official pointed out.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 4:50 am Post subject:

NSCBI Airport eyes aerobridges

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130923/jsp/calcutta/story_17379470.jsp

Calcutta airport will get 16 more aerobridges and some much-needed airside upgrades during the second phase of modernisation, to be carried out by a private operator whose role would extend to managing the facilities.
The aerobridges in the blueprint will be along a 200-metre air-conditioned corridor parallel to the old domestic terminal building. Airport officials said they would be installed over the next two to three years.
“This is part of the second phase of modernisation. Of the new aerobridges, 12 will be for domestic operations and four for international services,” airport director B.P. Sharma told Metro.
The aerobridges meant for domestic operations would arrive first.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had last week invited bids for a concessionaire to build several facilities, many of them on the airside, with an estimated budget of Rs 700 crore.
Apart from the additional aerobridges, the “scope of work” includes strengthening the main runway, resurfacing the secondary runway, extending the “F” taxi track and the apron area, making provisions for CAT-II lighting and creating an isolation bay along with hangers to park aircraft at night.
A covered link between Metro Railway’s proposed station at the airport and the integrated terminal building and a domestic cargo terminal are also part of the plan. “The scope and projected cost may be modified at the bid stage. The investment will be made within a period of three to four years,” a senior AAI official said from Delhi.
Aerobridges are an immediate requirement for the airport. In the first phase of modernisation, 18 aerobridges were installed, all connected to the new terminal that has been built to handle 20 million passengers annually.
Mumbai airport is being upgraded to handle 40 million passengers a year with four times more aerobridges than in Calcutta. Delhi’s Terminal 3 alone has 78 aerobridges for an annual traffic of 35 million.
The new Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport has 66 aerobridges for a projected annual traffic of 43 million passengers.
Of the 18 aerobridges at the city airport, nine each are for domestic and international flights. Flights have to be parked in the remote bays when all nine aerobridges in the busy domestic section are occupied while those linked to the international section remain unused.
The shortage of aerobridges is one of the reasons why baggage invariably takes more time to arrive than at other metropolitan airports, sources said.
“Tractor trolleys have to cover long distances when aircraft are parked in remote bays. That delays baggage arrival,” an official said.
It takes three to four minutes on an average for luggage to be unloaded from the aircraft’s belly and put on a tractor trolley, which then covers 2 to 2.5km till the integrated terminal. A tractor trolley takes at least seven minutes to reach the building, an official said.
A trolley often has to wait some time when an aircraft moves along the taxiway for take-off. This adds to the delay.
“The new aerobridges will be connected to 16 of the old parking bays that are now far from the integrated terminal. Passengers will use the air-conditioned corridor to reach the terminal,” the official said.
Taxiway F will be extended by 800 metres and linked to the southern end of the secondary runway, director Sharma said.
This is meant to optimise runway use and speed up take-off operations. In the present set-up, an aircraft needs to wait at the taxiway outside the secondary runway when the one ahead of it is taking off or another flight lands on either of the two runways.
After the extension, an aircraft can taxi till the end of the secondary runway and wait there. It can start take-off manoeuvres as soon as the aircraft ahead of it becomes airborne or the one that has landed moves out.
TIME FOR MAKEOVER PART II

Sixteen aerobridges
200m air-conditioned corridor to link aerobridges to terminal
800m extension of taxiway F
400m link from Metro station to terminal
Construction of isolation bay
Construction of hangers
Construction of domestic cargo terminal
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Sabya99

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

Thanks, Dr. Ganguly - this is possibly the first piece of news on the utilisation of the old T1: at least, the air-side part, much like MAA have currently done. With MAA, the task was slightly easier perhaps, as the terminals have been physically connected. At CCU, they will possibly have to break open some part, sand do some additional construction. While MAA will need some quick work, since the traffic is huge, CCU needs some steady but good work. The new T2 has its quirks, but overall, is very nice, it should not fall into the pathetic state that the old T1 was in. Further, I see no current plan in place for the old T1-international. I guess they will use it for Haj operations, as they are doing now. I doubt if the new corridor will include 4 international gates: I do not see how and where they will have two international islands. In the new T2, the south-facing part itself is the international part, where opening and closing a few doors can quickly convert an international departure gate to a domestic one, as they do for the AI 020 DEL-CCU and AI 701 CCU-DEL rotation. Gate 16, precisely.
There is no talk on an automated baggage sorting system: I guess the cost component may be too high. DEL T3 uses this very well.
Cheers, Sumantra.

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 7:06 am Post subject:

Sumantra, this is a poorly written report by desi reporters . I learned during morning and PM rush hours a large number of aircrafts are forced to undergo ramp loading as all the 9 or 10 domestic aerobridges are used up at that point. AAI have now come to conclusion that there is no point in keeping old domestic terminal with its aerobridges idle. A small walkway which could be built in months will be enough to do this job. But I don’t know where they are going to install 16 aerobridges? This report should clarify that aspect. We have to wait some more time. Incidentally CCU handled almost 11 million passengers between March 2012-April 2013.period. Only 1.6 million international passengers.
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Sabya99

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

sabya99 · Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 7:31 pm Post subject:

Sumantra: Years ago there was a proposal to built a walkway connecting the airside of domestic (T1) and old international terminal . In the process the derelict hangar will also be demolished. But once GOI approved the integrated terminal, AAI backed away from this proposal. Reactivating T1 domestic terminal is no problem as just one link walkway will do this job, and will not cost much money. The walkway in front of the T1 domestic terminal could be extended all the way up to airside of old domestic terminal. If that happens AAI could install 16 aerobridges. I don’t know what this reporter wanted to mean. Yes, there is a shortage of aerobridges in the peak hours!
What could you do with the old international terminal? You could use it as haj passenger terminal, could be used as turbo terminal or as a cowshed. It was never designed as airport terminal. But if this airside corridor is built in coming days it could extend CCU domestic capacity significantly. It could be used as dedicated NE terminal and Haj terminal.
I also think extension of Fox taxiway towards north is priority as it could link up with 19R ramp area. This will enhance secondary runway capacity.
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Sabya99

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

sabya99 · Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 5:28 am Post subject:

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 4:21 am Post subject:

Tatas in race for Chennai, Kolkata airport projects Tata Group is planning to bid for the government’s stake in the Chennai and Kolkata airports.

Read more at: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/tatasrace-for-chennai-kolkata-airport-projects_956728.html?utm_source=ref_article

Tata Sons is set to make another big splash in aviation after its recent foray with Singapore Airlines and Air Asia. CNBC TV 18 learns that Tata Group is likely to bid for 100% stake in two airport projects, i.e they are planning to bid for the government’s stake in the Chennai and Kolkata airports. The government had allowed privatisation of six airports in August this year. Tata group’s interest in this clearly comes at an appropriate time, considering that the Tatas have announced their two airline joint ventures (JVs), one with Air Asia and one with Singapore Airlines recently. Experts say that this airport foray will not only help them expand their base further but help them gain market share in the aviation space too. We further understand that Tata group may look at investing around Rs 2800 crore on brownfield expansion for these two projects, which include investments for their metro connectivity, and addition of new terminals too. However, it’s not only the Tata group which is eyeing these six airports. Along with Tatas, some already existing players, like Sahara and GVK are also planning to place their bids. They are all still seeking clarity on some issues — the exact share of revenues that they have to pay to the government is one of them. The Tatas are also bidding for three greenfield projects namely, Goa, Jamshedpur and the Navi Mumbai airports. They have expressed interest for Goa and Jamshedpur, while the government is yet to invite bids for the Navi Mumbai airport. So, clearly aviation seems to be the new focus for this group at this point of time.
Comments: I want TATA group in charge of NSCBI airport . Most white color bongs who use this airport are fan of TATA group. They like TATA professionalism no matter what Kolkata vandals shout in the street.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 6:31 am Post subject:

Kolkata: high culture and melancholic decay; a Financial Times report : http://youtu.be/B7lwmJY_YZ4 . Heaven on earth "Sikkim & Darjeeling " :
http://youtu.be/nJlTgXEKT6c Landing at NSCBI airport and use of taxiway Roger : http://youtu.be/HA9MIy1Snkw Spice jet B737-800 landing : http://youtu.be/jETG8vcD2cc Cockpit landing video of B737 ( unidentified airport ) : http://youtu.be/_53xWxj136E ; http://youtu.be/rMZ0VU7lWuw Infra. problems of the airport : http://youtu.be/zeZjTmi1bLY Airport runway rubber removal by high pressure water jet : http://youtu.be/sx333SV47SE Landing at Kolkata airport : http://youtu.be/Ou4iM3KQiLE Most dangerous airports of the world: http://youtu.be/GZ3dVji-PyY The NSCBI airport : http://youtu.be/2jR0oXfmL70 Morning landing from south side of main runway ; http://youtu.be/1TbAneE7QHA , http://youtu.be/YvphyZ56iNQ ATR landing at Silchar airport : http://youtu.be/5ZRbfWcz8As
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 6:11 pm Post subject:

First night plane lands in Bagdogra
- Flight 20 minutes late welcomed with drum beats

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1131002/jsp/siliguri/story_17414319.jsp
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Oct. 1: The first night flight passengers entered Bagdogra airport to the beat of drums at 7.30 this evening.
SG 944, a SpiceJet flight from Calcutta carrying 48 passengers, among them the north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb, was 20 minutes late, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of tour operators and locals at the airport.
“It is a red letter day for Bagdogra and north Bengal. For several years, we wanted night landing and finally it has happened,” Deb said.
Residents across north Bengal as well as neighbouring Sikkim have been waiting for years for night-landing flights to start.
On July 1, the Indian Air Force gave its assent to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to run flights till 10pm.
In Bagdogra, the air traffic control and the runway are maintained by the IAF.
Several officials of the AAI, the state tourism department and representatives of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association, assembled at the terminal building this evening to welcome the passengers of the first evening flight.
SpiceJet also started its morning flights from Bagdogra today. The SpiceJet flight that left Calcutta at 8.40am reached Bagdogra at 9.40am. The return flight left at 10.10am.
“The morning and evening flights between Calcutta and Bagdogra have been started by SpiceJet from today. We now look forward to see that the morning and evening flights between Delhi and Bagdogra and morning flight to Guwahati are introduced from October 7, as mentioned by the company. This would be followed by another flight between Bagdogra and Kathmandu,” Deb said.
“We are confident that the airline will continue its service as there will be enough passengers. More airline companies are likely to follow suit,” the minister said.
Another important factor that could woo airlines to Bagdogra is the state’s decision to waive the sales tax on aviation fuel. The government in a meeting last month decided to waive the sales tax on aviation turbine fuel, which is 30 per cent in Calcutta and other airports.
“Bagdogra is the cheapest airport in the country in terms of refuelling, which would naturally bring more airline companies,” a senior official of AAI said.
“It is great news for the business community as well as for people in general. Earlier, we could catch flights only till afternoon and there was no option to reach Calcutta or Delhi in the evening,” said Dilip Dugar, a north Bengal zonal council member of the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Raj Basu, a veteran in the tourism industry, brought up two other issues.
“We have come with two more demands…. First of all, we want the state government and AAI authorities to bring Siliguri in the domestic and international air map by changing the code of Bagdogra. Instead of IXB, which is the code now, tickets should be issued in the name of Siliguri or SLG,” Basu said.
“Further, it was the chief minister’s wish to name the airport after Tagore. We have submitted letters to the AAI officials and to the north Bengal development minister today, requesting to change the code and also name the airport as Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore International Airport.”
Somnath Banerjee, who travelled on the flight, said: “With this facility, one can even return from Calcutta on the same day. More flights should ply during early morning and evening hours.”
Jonathan Lozan, a French national from Lyon, who took the flight said: “I am on my way to Darjeeling and learned in Calcutta airport about this new flight. This flight saved my time and virtually a whole day,” he said.
With him were five of his friends, all students of business administration in Lyon
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 4:13 am Post subject:

New Kolkata airport terminal early morning : http://youtu.be/usxZSId7PjY ; New terminal of Ranchi airport : http://youtu.be/4nD6pmsn-YQ , B737 night time take off ( Cockpit video ) : http://youtu.be/GY2TnOlsK9s Sight of a cat at new Kolkata terminal : http://youtu.be/4P8Zwhql9JE New terminal interior ( Arrival lounge ) : http://youtu.be/dQ69ikoTRfU Night view of Kolkata runway 19L, (turning pad and the city) : http://youtu.be/lkB8I9mlfnA Spice Jet arrival at Bagdogra airport ; http://youtu.be/dV9gzG1zCHM Spice Jet landing at Bangalore –HAL airport : http://youtu.be/Njt4QFrUAe4 Indigo landing at Delhi airport , cockpit view : http://youtu.be/AiQqnhj0zX8 Landing at Kolkata main runway 19L : http://youtu.be/skqmv7TNkKw Landing on secondary runway and parking ( AI 321 ): http://youtu.be/1g5YrF42_LY Qatar Airways landing at Doha from Kolkata : http://youtu.be/2wUeMUgKP2c A comparison of Emirates vs. Qatar airways : http://youtu.be/VcYgh4Me8Iw High bypass turbofan engine : http://youtu.be/z0AmKdaukks
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Sabya99

jbalonso777 · Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:16 am Post subject:

Dad has something lined up for this weekend, if not, end of next week Smile

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

sabya99 · Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:35 pm Post subject:

Nice picture. Thanks for posting. It looks like any other modern airport of the world. What is that four engine aircraft on secondary runway? Very Happy

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Sabya99

jbalonso777 · Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 8:07 am Post subject:

That will need to be confirmed.
It is either an Ilyushin Il-76 or 78.
Hopefully one of the members here can point it out!

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

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

sabya99 · Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:50 am Post subject:

Phailin knocks out radar, flight ops hit

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Phailin-knocks-out-radar-flight-ops-hit/articleshow/24213972.cms

KOLKATA: A strong gale preceding cyclone Phailin knocked out a crucial flight navigation instrument on Sunday afternoon severely affecting the flight operations in the region.

The monopulse secondary surveillance radar (MSSR) at Behrampur that monitors flights in the south-eastern sector of Kolkata flight information region (FIR) became inoperative on Saturday afternoon after the antenna coupling that allows the radar to rotate snapped after being slammed by winds in excess of 200kmph.

The MSSR that has a range of 250 nautical miles or over 430km tracks nearly 1,300-1,400 flights daily, three-fourth of which are international flights between the Far East/South East Asia and Gulf/Europe.

"Given the severity of the cyclonic circulation in Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh, the flight corridor was diverted further north and planes were made to fly over either Jamshedpur or Kolkata. This led to huge congestion in the constricted airspace. Not a single flight level was unoccupied and there was continuous traffic round-the-clock," a controller told TOI.

While controllers usually have to handle a maximum of 30 flights at any given time, they were now saddled with 45 aircraft. "The pressure was so intense that we had to quickly reorganize the duty roster, cancel Puja leaves and reinforce the area control," another controller said.

After the cyclone landed on Saturday evening and gradually changed course as it progressed, the flight paths were diverted from Jamshedpur and Gaya to Patna.

On Sunday, traffic that is usually spread across three corridors was funnelled into one, leading to intense pressure.

Though the weather over Odisha and Visakhapatnam improved enough for flights to resume over Bhubaneswar and Vizag, it did not help because the radar remained inoperative. Controllers were forced to roll out procedure control measures that increases the distance between planes to ensure that they don't crash into each other.

While radar control allows plane to maintain 10 nautical miles or 17 km between each other, procedure control leads to the horizontal separation between aircraft to increase to 10 minutes. This step has disrupted flight schedules but is absolutely necessary because controllers navigate the planes virtually blind in the absence of radar, depending solely on radio communication.

Officials in the communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) wing that oversees the maintenance repair and overhaul of equipment said it could take more than a week to get the Behrampur radar back in operation.
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Sabya99

sabya99 · Posted: Sat Nov 02, 2013 5:56 pm Post subject:

Kolkata airport landing video : http://youtu.be/QPYWcIyCyHk ; http://youtu.be/GhAMi1Aa_xw ; landing at Hyderabad airport: http://youtu.be/pLhRkmfaQaU Future Muslim Women pilots from Hyderabad : http://youtu.be/805o_JYSSic Jet Konnect take off night time: http://youtu.be/FEShEG-WP34 ; http://youtu.be/MlHMDErA6M8 Early morning view of 01L and 01 R : http://youtu.be/Nle8_eYmLFY Landing at Bagdogra airport : http://youtu.be/fQA0VhTpkeI Landing at NSCBI airport : http://youtu.be/yDBnEbcIYgk Landing at Kolkata airport and use of rapid exit taxiway R ; http://youtu.be/HA9MIy1Snkw Guahati airport : http://youtu.be/sQhWKCtvamw ; http://youtu.be/6hImqqTfiaA ; http://youtu.be/O0nOubjkrVk World’s scariest plane landings : http://youtu.be/FO_mJbJn-04
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Sabya99