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ameya · Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 3:09 pm Post subject: IDR-PNQ on Kingfisher -today

After the family function was over yesterday it was time to go back I had booked for my parents and me on Kingfisher to Pune. KF is the only direct option from IDR to PNQ , the other is 9W-K via NAG, which is a B737 as compared to this KF ATR flight.

My father woke me up early in the morning to Delhi is all packed up by fog, I just told him our flight comes from HYD and slept again. Checked up on the fog at Delhi, it was very bad, everything was disrupted. Checked if this flight had left HYD on time and it had left before time.

Left the hotel at 8:30 for a 10:15 departure, the airport was around 25 mins away. Reached around 9:00 and IDR is a typical AAI airport. At these airports, a frequent traveler / aviation enthusiasts like us can blindly tell how things would be arranged and how the construction would be, the toilet boards, water cooler, and stalls and x ray machines. It was all the same.

Quickly got the baggage screened. The morning DEL-IDR-DEL S2 flight had not arrived and many passengers were waiting, this flights scheduled dep is at 07:25 from IDR. Soon came an announcement that the flight was 6:40 mins late due to weather issues in Delhi.
The check in area is nice, with KF having 4 counters, followed by 2 of Go Air and again one at the end of the row, then 2 of AI and 4 of 9W.

Connectivity is as follows,
Kingfisher
Direct – NAG,PNQ, DEL
1 stop – HYD, GOI.
BOM flights are currently pulled out.

Jet/Jetlite
Direct – BHO, AMD, BOM, DEL, NAG
1 Stop – HYD, CCU, PNQ

AI
Triangular with BHO and DEL.

GO Air has stopped operations wef 15th Dec, the busses, step ladders and all other equipment was neatly lined up on one side of the apron.

Check in was quick, I had blocked 10A for my self. The reason being, this seat is right where the flaps are for ATR and I like to see them during landing

Security hold area is very small, can barely hold 150 people but this was an ATR flight and no other flight at that time meant that all was well. Cleared security and saw a B737 of Jet airways with Konnect decals, VT-JNX. Came to know that it has made emergency landing yesterday in the evening.

Need your help to solve this, 9W doesn’t have an evening DEL-IDR , I think its operated by S2. So was this bird there and if any clue what exactly happened.

Our aircraft came early from NAG, it arrived at bay at 09:34. The departure was at 10:15, the ground services took their own sweet time and boarding was announced at 9:55, however that was quick. Nobody was booked NAG-PNQ on this flight, may be because there for 3 flights a day each way between NAG and PNQ now. The incoming load was 62/66. and IDR-PNQ was full, 100% occupancy, with 4 going onwards to GOI.

We were chocks off at 10:12 and airborne from rwy 25 at 10:16. Did not see the fuselage of 9W ATR.

The new terminal building at IDR, again is a predictable AAI structure, glass and steel structure with 2 aerobridges. I sincerely hope that they do not close these bays. If airports like these get more traffic, they should let people change timings for lack of bays or terminal capacity, they should just open up the earlier apron and if need be even the building.

With, ATR the best part of the journey is it flies low and you get to see everything clearly. Came back and traced the route. We flew towards Mumbai first, and saw the beautiful Narmada followed by Ukai dam on tapi near the MP, Guj and maharashtra border and then headed towards nashik, crossing Bhandardara dam and getting beautiful glimpse of Kalsubai peak, which one upon a time I had climbed, looked at my stomach, continued eating the sandwich, and realized I cant do it again and started enjoying the outside view again.

The inflight service was ok, food quality wasn’t that good, a corn and cheese sandwich and a bottle of water was served.

After Bhandardara, we followed route over Chakan, Pavana Dam, Mulshi Dam, and took a left to align to rwy 10 at PNQ and touched down smoothly.

The aero bridges at Pune are now operational and spicejet VT- SGB, VT-IGS of IndiGO and VT-WAI of G8 were all docked at the aero bridge.
ATR went to the left most bay and we walked to the arrivals and before that the baggage had reached !

Aircraft –
VT-KAQ, the tail design was in a very bad state.
Aircraft from inside was much better than expected and clean. Seems like the good times are coming back.

This aircraft was delivered to KF in 2008.

OTP – 5/5
Cleanliness – 5/5
Service – 3/5
Food – 2/5

No photos again !

Nimish · Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 3:57 pm Post subject:

AAI's airports are indeed a standard pattern, what's unfortunate is that they're typically all bad for lack of upkeep! I wish 6E would also buy some ATRs as they can then economically serve these secondary sectors. Hopefully with SGs purchase of props, we'll soon have sufficient coverage of these secondary airports as well. IT Red and the ATRs generally do an excellent no fuss job (except for the sandwitch - which is uniformly horrible), it's only sad that the bins on the ATRs are so tiny Sad

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GuyFromBOM · Member Joined: 19 Jun 2010 Posts: 544 Location: VABB

Nice report, once again.

This one reminds me of a few trips I did on DN's ATR42-500 on the BOM-RAJ sector. Typical AAI airport (at RAJ), a little stroll from the boarding gate and a hop onto the cabin. The only wheels on the tarmac were those of the Aircraft and the wheelchairs for those needing special assistance.

me111993 · Member Joined: 04 Sep 2009 Posts: 3225 Location: MAA/AMD

Nice TR's Ameya! Both of them. Wink

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ameya · Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:02 pm Post subject:

Thanks all . . .

as for inflight food - come 31st Jan, it would be BoB for IT-Red.

avbuff · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 5031

Thanks for sharing your experience ameya. I can imagine the PNQ airport in the AAI structure back in 2005, I believe IDR isn't any different.

Good to know PNQ aerobridges are functional now.

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

Thanks for another nice TR, Ameya. the description of IDR and PNQ were quite vivid, and this brought back many memories of 2010, since I've seen them both last year. BoB again for IT Red? That's bad news...
Cheers, Sumantra.

stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

I liked IDR airport, hopefully IT will restart the BLR flights.
Nice TR, even without pics Cool

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ameya · Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2011 3:46 pm Post subject:

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

Ameya, you beat me to announcing functional aerobridges at PNQ!
I had a trip 23 Dec - 25 Dec, whose TR should come up in the next few days.
Cheers, Sumantra.