Hitech landing facility on three runways to reduce flight delays

Flyers may expect less number of flight delays during fog this winter, with all the three runways of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi being equipped with the Instrumental Landing System. The second runway, after the recarpeting work and installation of Category I ILS, is ready and in operation from November 18. We will now have all three runways for operations during fog,. an IGI Airport spokesperson said. 

By February next year, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is in charge of the runways, would also finish the installation of ILS on Dwarka side, he said. After the recarpeting and installation of CAT-I ILS, which cost around Rs 30 crore and was not part of Operation, Management and Development Agreement (OMDA), the runway would be available for landing of CATI compliant aircraft when the visibility is up to 550 metres. .Earlier, this runway could not be used even during mild fog, when visibility was more than 550 metres, as it could be used only when the visibility was more than 1,600 metres,. the spokesperson said. In order to make the main runway (28/10) available for operations under the Category III-B fog, when the visibility drops up to 50 metres, airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), will undertake photometric test of the runway lightings.
(By Skyline College)



We have started preventive maintenance on main runway (28/10) from Saturday which will continue for 10 days. It would be carried out for four hours daily, during non-peak hours,. the airport official said. Later, when the fog is over, the DIAL will undertake recarpeting work of the main runway, which is due since late 80s. .The recarpeting work on main runway would be over by the end of June next year, so that when the new terminal building is commissioned in July, all the three runways are available, the airport official said. 

The Government, in an effort to reduce congestion and passenger inconvenience during the fog, has asked all airlines to deploy their CAT-II/III compliant aircraft during fog hours in the morning during winter season. Also DIAL has made available 55 CAT-III compliant bays, out of which 36 are for domestic flights. They have been asked not to allocate CAT-III-equipped parking stand at domestic apron area for CAT-III non-compliant aircraft.



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DGCA pulls up airport panel for `incomplete' meetings on delays

Director General of Civil Aviation Nasim Zaidi has pulled up airline and airport officials for the airport local committee's failure to maintain the full quorum at daily discussions on on-time performance of airlines, aimed at solving issues related to delays if any. A senior airport official said the DG pulled up the officials when he was in Mumbai on November 20 for the OMDA review meeting. The committee to examine on-time performance of airlines was formed in July, after the Civil Aviation Ministry decided on such local panels for Delhi and Mumbai airports.

A full meeting of the committee would ideally consist of a minimum of eight representatives of Indian carriers and one official each from Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), with the latter responsible for convening the meetings. The meetings are held daily. "It becomes difficult to spare manpower daily for an hour or two for the performance meeting," said an airport official. "These meetings do take place and are being chaired by MIAL. There were quorum issues but the meetings are going on and we are filing daily reports with the attendance to the DGCA," said an MIAL official.

The on-time component at airports is good. Now we're focusing on other requirements to minimise delays. We have asked them to continue the meetings, as it is a very important component to improve on-time performance," said the DG. The average on-time performance at airports across India is at 75 per cent, with the Mumbai and Delhi airports ranked among the most delay-prone in terms of arrivals. Also, the current reconstruction of the secondary runway and re carpeting work carried out every Tuesday has significantly delayed morning departures out of the Mumbai airport.
Source: The Indian Express

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British Airways may revive Qantas tie-up

British Airways Plc could revive plans for a tie-up with Qantas Airways Ltd, using its merger with Spain’s Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana SA as atemplate, Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh told. The Iberia model would allow Qantas to retain a separate brand and home base, Walsh said, according to the report. There are no plans to pursue atie-up at present, and the “quite negative” political reaction in Australia to a proposed deal last year would be a “major hurdle,” he added. British Airways has agreed to combine with Iberia to boost its network amid a slump in international travel that contributed to a record first-half loss. The carrier abandoned merger talks with Qantas last year after the airlines failed to agree on whom would control the new company.

(By Skyline College)

Air India to renegotiate terms of $9.5b loans

Cash-strapped Air India (AI) will shortly renegotiate credit terms with foreign lenders including Exim Bank of the US, Kfw and other European banks to stagger out repayment of its $ 9.5 billion debt beyond 12 years and secure a moratorium of 3-5 years. This is aimed at gaining more time to mobilise funds for making repayments. Renegotiating the credit terms also would translate into deferred aircraft acquisition as the two are linked. AI had signed an arrangement for $7.5 billion credit from US Exim Bank in October 2006 to purchase 68 new aircraft from Boeing on government guarantees. The carrier has also borrowed about $2 billion from European banks, including German government-owned Kfw, to buy 43 aircraft from Airbus. “The loan is to be repaid in 12 years. Considering our financial health, it is not possible to repay it on time,” a senior official of Air India said on the condition of anonymity.

Jet fuel prices slashed 2.1%

For the second time this month, state-owned oil firms on Wednesday slashed jet fuel prices by 2.1% in line with softening international rates. The aviation turbine fuel or ATF price in Delhi has been cut by Rs 812.33 per kilolitre to Rs 37,084.50 per kl, with effect from midnight tonight, an official of the Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation’s largest fuel retailer, said. IOC along with its sister PSUs, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp had from September 16 cut jet fuel rates by as much as 3.2% to Rs 37,896.83 per kl.

Jet fuel will cost Rs 38,246.60 per kl in Mumbai, from Rs 39,098.99. The reduction in rates will help cash-strapped airlines cut fuel cost, which constitutes roughly 40% of their operational cost. No comments could be obtained from any airline on the possible impact on fares. ATF will cost Rs 45,235.94 per kl in Kolkata as against Rs 46,101.86 per kl currently and Rs 40,956.89 per kl in Chennai (Rs 41,850.52 per kl currently).

The three firms had in three installments raised jet fuel price by 7.6% since mid-July. Jet fuel price in Delhi on July 16 was Rs 36,388.18 per kl and was raised first to Rs 36,922.67 per kl on August 1 and then by 4.5 per cent to Rs 38,585.24 per kl. Last month it was marginally raised by 1.4% to Rs 39,118 per kl. The three oil firms revise jet fuel prices on the first and the 16th day of every month based on the average international oil price in the previous fortnight.

Source: October 01, 2009, The Financial Express