Russia Negotiating with India, United States on Joint Navigational System

Russia is negotiating with India, US and some other countries on the joint use of its national global navigational satellite system GLONASS, a top space official said Tuesday.

GLONASS, the Russian version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS) is designed for both military and civilian purposes and allows users to identify their location in real time. It can also be used in geological prospecting.

“We are in active talks with India, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and some other countries on the joint use of the GLONASS space system,” Chief of the Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, said in the course of an internet conference.

Click for complete article

One full service, low-cost airline after merger: Patel

The Government is to have one full service airline and one low-cost airline to look after passenger needs after the merger of Air India and Indian is firmed up, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, has said.

“Globally airlines have one full service and one low-cost airline. This is the model that we will also follow here,” the Minister said.

At present while Air India Express is the low-cost arm of Air India, Alliance Air, which is the subsidiary of Indian, operates on a cost competitive model.

Click for complete article

TN yet to identify land for Chennai airport expansion

The Tamil Nadu Government is yet to identify land for the expansion of the Chennai airport, said the Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, in the Assembly on Wednesday.

Responding to a concern raised by a member that residents in Chennai suburbs surrounding the airport feared being evicted to make way for the airport expansion, the Chief Minister said that the location for the project is yet to be finalised.

The State Government is looking at options well away from the existing facility, he said.

Click for complete article

Jet signs deal for simulators

Jet Airways has signed a contract with CAE for supply of Boeing 777-300 extended range and Airbus A-330 simulators.

In addition, the Canadian-based company will provide a CAE Simfinity Integrated Procedures Trainer (IPT) for the Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft as well as a CAE Simfinity Maintenance Flight Training Device for the A330 aircraft.

Click for complete article

Indo-US nuclear Bill hits procedural roadblock

A legislation to implement the historic Indo-US civilian nuclear deal appeared to have hit a roadblock when Conferees of the House of Representatives and Senate failed to file a final report with Rules Committee prior to the consideration of the House.

At one time yesterday, there was the thinking that the Conferees’ committee had agreed on the final version of the legislation that had to clear both the House and the Senate before the Congress adjourns this week for the year to meet in January.

One version doing the rounds is that the legislation has become a victim of lame duck politics in the sense that lawmakers are eager to tag legislations that have nothing to do with India or the terms and outlines of what the Conferees have already arriv ed at.

Click for complete article

DIAL unveils masterplan for Delhi airport

Delhi International Airport Ltd, the joint venture company responsible for the modernisation of the Delhi Airport on Wednesday unveiled the masterplan for the airport.

The company plans to invest $1.5 billion, up from the initial plans to invest $1 billion, in the first phase of development of the new terminal building as the company is envisaging that the new terminal should be able to cater to 37 million passengers by 2010.

The airport will have an integrated terminal building (terminal 3) and four runways. It would feature 55 aerobridges and 30 remote parking bays. By 2010, 90% of the traffic will use aerobridges. Termial 3 would also feature Common Use Terminal Equipment, and have 130-check in counters and 70 emigration desks.

Click for complete article

Asia’s largest runway, high-speed rail link for Delhi airport

At 4,430 metres, Asia’s largest runway will make the Delhi airport the first in the country with the capability of handling A-380, the largest aircraft in the world. 
 
Under the revised master plan submitted to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which is working on the project, will ready the third runway by 2008 and develop a new integrated two-tier terminal building (Terminal 3) to handle both international and domestic passengers. 
 
All this will need an investment of Rs 6,703 crore in the next four years.

Click for complete article

India to allow 74% FDI in cargo by 2007

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today said the government would raise the foreign direct investment ceiling in air cargo and non-scheduled operations to 74 per cent from the current 49 per cent, by 2007. 
 
“India will look up to hiking the FDI ceiling in the two sectors by 2007,” Patel said while addressing the International Air Transport Association seminar on cargo in emerging markets. 
 
“We have not even scratched the surface of the air cargo business, and cargo infrastructure needs to be greatly enhanced,” he said. 
 
Patel said state-run carriers Air-India and Indian Airlines would also enter the cargo business shortly. 
 
When asked why 74% FDI was not being allowed in passenger aviation sector, Patel said, “We would like our carriers to consolidate their position first and then we will look into opening up the sector further”. 

Click for complete article

Blue Dart opens new centre in Bangalore

Blue Dart Express Limited, an integrated air express courier and package distribution company, has opened a new service centre in Bangalore on Bannerghata Road. 
 
According to Gopinath Menon, senior vice-president (south region), Blue Dart Express, the southern region is critical to the compny’s growth as it accounts for 35 per cent of its total revenue. Keeping this in mind, the company would be setting up 15 new facilities in the region. 
 
Bannerghata Road was emerging as a hub for logistics movement. The new facility, spread over 9,000 square feet, and located between Apollo hospital and Wockhardt hospital, would have 40 people to service MNCs clients like Oracle, Accenture, IBM, Honeywell, HSBC BPO among others, he added. 

Click for complete article

Air Deccan launches safe credit card bookings

Air Deccan has introduced credit card masking system to enhance security for its passengers paying through credit cards. 
 
Credit card masking system works through interactive voice response (IVR) instead of a call centre agent. 
 
The IVR will procure the credit card details without any manual interaction, thus allowing the caller to provide his credit card details to a more secure system. 

Click for complete article