WINE PRICES IN BANGALORE HEADED INTO THE STRATOSPHERE ! You might be surprised at a wine article in my aviation blog, but wine is a subject close to my heart. The convoluted alcoholic beverages policy in India, makes each state, akin to another country, each with their own cumbersome taxes and regulations. The recent collapse of the Doha round of …

As my final post for the month of July, I reproduce a touching example of the revolutionary change occurring within the aviation sector in India. Indian Airlines is 100% government owned, and has mended its ways thanks to the competition from private sector airlines. A similar revolution has already occurred at the state owned BSNL, who is competing head on …

Leave three hours to get there… By Saritha RaiWednesday 30 July 2008 There were high hopes for Bangalore’s multimillion dollar air hub, which opened in May. But locating it in a near wilderness without a decent road was not a great start, says Saritha Rai. Raghu Shenoy, chief executive of a small Bangalore IT services firm, thinks nothing of jumping …

India set to sign liberal aviation pact with EU NEW DELHI: Indian airlines are set to get an improved access to European destinations. A liberal aviation pact between India and the European Union (EU) is on the cards, which will enable this as well as give EU carriers better access to India. In a way, the pact will work like …

By TBM Staff | Chennai The development plans of Chennai Airport got the clearance of the Public Investment Board (PIB) today. It will now have to be approved by the Government (CCEA approval). The work is expected to begin by September 2008. Last year in April, the Government decided that the Chennai Airport would be developed by following international standards …

Sindhu Bhattacharya NEW DELHI: The Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) just keeps courting controversies. First, the issue of keeping the old HAL airport open resurfaced with the Karnataka chief minister raising the issue recently. And now, the ministry of civil aviation has expressed its displeasure over the new airport’s passenger handling capacity. In fact, the ministry has already asked the Airports …

Global growth rate of flights continues to slowdown: OAGBy TBM Staff | MumbaiThe world’s airlines are scheduled to operate just one per cent more flights for July 2008 compared with the same month last year. According to the latest statistics from OAG (Official Airline Guide), the world’s authority on flight information, this represents an additional 34,800 flights. Capacity for July …

Qantas jumbo makes emergency landing after mid-air drama Image from BBC News MANILA (AFP) — A Qantas Boeing 747 flying to Melbourne made an emergency landing in Manila on Friday after a dramatic mid-air rupture that left a “gaping hole” in its fuselage, officials and passengers said. Stunned passengers reported how the jumbo, which originated in London and made a …

Keep HAL airport open: AAI24 Jul 2008, TNN Anshul Dhamija and Sujit John Bangalore: The new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) has landed in a turbulent whirlwind with the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The AAI has prepared a report that says that BIA’s capacity is less than what its promoters have stated, that the airport is already saturated, and that …

From October 1, 2008, airlines in India are going to stop paying commissions on their tickets sales by travel agents. Travel agents are understandably incensed. Until about a year ago they used to earn 9% commission, which was dropped to 5%, and in another 2 months, will drop to 0. Industry experts say most small agents will shut shop, while …

Kingfisher Airlines firms up Heathrow plansBy Brendan Sobie India’s Kingfisher Airlines is preparing to launch its first two international routes, connecting Bangalore and Mumbai with London Heathrow, at the end of August or beginning of September. The carrier also is aiming to begin its first US route, connecting Bangalore with San Francisco, in September or October. Kingfisher chairman Vijay Mallya …

India, the world’s largest democracy, has a sorry record in sound and bold economic administration. Populist measures abound, and nothing is sacred or immoral in the perpetual quest to obtain and then secure the “gaddi”. Fuel pricing in India is a prime example. Officially, the “Administered Price Mechanism” was abolished in 2002, but today, the Indian government has a greater …

Plane truth: Trains fare betterBy Nandini Chandrashekar, DH News Service, Bangalore: Frequent short haul air travellers from Bangalore seem to be preferring the train, discouraged by the distance and time taken to travel to the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). South-Western Railway officials here have noticed a great increase in passengers notably on the Shatabdi trains running between Chennai and …

Air passenger traffic takes a hit on high faresAnirban Chowdhury / New Delhi July 11, 2008 Dips 4 per cent in July first week for the first time in 3 years. For the first time in the past three years, the first week of July has seen the domestic air passenger traffic declining by 4 per cent over the year-ago …

HAL airport: Centre may seek more time to get back to HC The issue of keeping HAL airport open even after the new airport becomes operational has become contentious as the agreement signed with the promoters states that the existing airport will close when Devanahalli starts functioning Ashwini Phadnis New Delhi, July 8 A decision on whether the HAL airport …

Mr Albert Brunner, CEO, Bangalore International Airport ProjectJul 08, 2008 Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the owner and operator of the new Bengaluru International Airport, is a public limited company, registered under the Indian Companies Act. A private-public venture, the project realized so far and the upcoming phases are being built and will be operated by the company for the …

Venkatesha Babu Bangalore: Seventeen years after it was conceived, the Bengaluru International Airport became operational on the night of 24-25 May after several delays. From the day of its launch, the airport has been in the news mainly for the wrong reasons, from complaints over poor connectivity to inadequate toilet facilities. This, however, doesn’t seem to faze Albert Brunner, the …

HAL can’t handle charter flightsMonday July 7 2008 Monica Jha BANGALORE: Despite receiving a green signal from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to operate charter flights, the HAL Airport is in no position to handle charter flights. The reason being that the security mechanism at the HAL Airport is inadequate for the handling of take-offs and landings of charter flights. …

Hemanth C S BANGALORE: The city was once considered the ‘Aviation Hub of India’ and the host for aviation-related events and exhibitions, due to its proximity to various state-owned aeronautical organisations, like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, National Aerospace Laboratories and other agencies. However, today it is no longer the preferred choice for such events, as two of the country’s biggest civil …