09. February 2007


Date: 09. Feb. 2007
Bajpe airport here will handle three more daily domestic flights — two to Mumbai and one to Bangalore — soon. This will take the total number of domestic daily flight operations at the airport from eight to 11.
The airline operators have given their summer schedule to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), M.R. Vasudeva, director, Mangalore (Bajpe) airport told . Accordingly, the number of daily flights from Mangalore to Bangalore will go up from four to five, and to Mumbai from four to six.
Presently Air Deccan operates two flights between Mangalore and Bangalore. Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways operate one flight each.
Jet Airways will operate an evening flight between Bangalore and Mangalore from April 1. Boeing 737-800 of the airline will arrive here from Bangalore at 7.15 p.m. and depart to Bangalore at 7.50 p.m.
To Mumbai
Jet Airways operates two flights between Mangalore and Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines and Indian operate one each.
According to the summer schedule, Air Deccan will operate Airbus-320 between Mangalore and Mumbai from March 26. The aircraft will land here from Mumbai at 2.30 p.m. and depart at 3 p.m.
Kingfisher Airlines will operate Airbus-319 between Mumbai and Mangalore from April 15. The aircraft will arrive here from Mumbai at 4.15 p.m. and depart at 4.45 p.m. The airline is operating an Airbus-321 between Mumbai and Mangalore.
Source: http://www.konkaniworld.com


Date: 09. Feb. 2007
Indian Airlines will be the first carrier in India to operate Pratt & Whitney-powered Airbus A330s. The airline is scheduled to take delivery of the first of two A330-200 aircraft with PW4000-100" engines in October 2007. Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX - News) company, and Indian Airlines announced the deal at the Aero India 2007 air show in Bangalore.
"We are delighted that Indian Airlines has chosen Pratt & Whitney PW4168A engines to power their fleet expansion of two A330 aircraft," said James Masotti, Pratt & Whitney's vice president of Commercial Engines and Services. "India is an extremely important market for Pratt & Whitney and we see enormous potential for powering the growth of our Indian customers with the most dependable, best value products and services available."
"It is a matter of pride to be the first to be inducting the high performance wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft," said Vishwapati Trivedi, Indian Airlines' Chairman and Managing Director. "We are also happy to continue to be associated with a reliable engine manufacturer like Pratt & Whitney. Indian has been setting standards in civil aviation over the last 50 years, and is synonymous with efficiency and reliability. The induction of the Pratt & Whitney-powered A330 into our fleet will allow us to further raise our standards of performance."
Indian has a fleet of 74 aircraft including 48 Airbus A320s, six A319s, and 11 Boeing 737 aircraft operated by subsidiary Alliance Air. The airline operates over 300 flights a day to 54 destinations within India and 18 abroad carrying nearly 30,000 passengers a day.
The Pratt & Whitney PW4000-100" engine was designed specifically for the Airbus A330 twinjet. Offered as a complete propulsion system, the PW4000-100" is the most advanced and reliable propulsion system available for the A330. The engine incorporates a number of service-proven technologies in materials, aerodynamics and controls to enhance performance, reliability and durability. The PW4000-100" was the first engine in aviation history to qualify for ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operations) prior to entering service.
Pratt & Whitney has over 17,000 aircraft engines in service with hundreds of airlines throughout the world. Additionally, Pratt & Whitney is a leading partner in two joint venture companies that manufacture commercial aircraft engines: International Aero Engines, which makes the V2500 for the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, and the Engine Alliance, whose GP7200 engine is FAR 33 certified for the new Airbus A380.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.
Source: http://biz.yahoo.com


Date: 09. Feb. 2007
As thousands of Indians take to air travel for the first time, staff at domestic airlines are learning how to cope with inexperienced passengers, including those who try to open the doors while the planes are moving, a newspaper reported Friday. A security report prepared by a leading airline documents an instance when passengers tired of waiting for their aircraft to receive clearance to land, gathered outside the cockpit, forcing an emergency landing, the Times of India reported.
"Last month, a passenger opened an emergency exit to soothe his nerves. More recently, two passengers tried to open the doors of an aircraft while it was moving on the runway," the study mentioned.
"First time fliers are eager to know about the aircraft and complications first hand as they would do in a train or bus," Siddhanta Sharma, CEO of Spicejet told the Times.
With a booming economy and rising wages, thousands of Indians have started using newly-launched budget airlines in the recent years.
Air traffic in India is growing annually by about 7.7 per cent and is expected to double to 50 million passengers by 2010, according to industry estimates.
But due to inadequate infrastructure as well as delays and cancellations of flights, there are frayed nerves at the airports and in the flights, the study found.
A passenger broke the arm of a flight attendant recently. "Sometimes female employees have their clothes torn by unruly people inside airports," a person connected with the study told the Times.
Experts opined that owing to the security risks, airline staff must be allowed physically restrain such rowdy passengers.
"There are times when reason fails..Some foreign airlines now carry on board plastic handcuffs for this purpose," an aviation expert BP Suman said.
Source: http://rawstory.com

Date: 09. Feb. 2007
Inexperienced flyers are causing a few headaches for India's budget airlines, with one carrier reporting a passenger trying to open a door mid-flight.
India's rapid economic growth has made air travel an option for many more people, as a host of new airlines have taken to the skies in recent years.
But the burgeoning demand for flying has brought its own problems.
A report by one airline revealed that passengers trying to have a chat with a pilot forced an emergency landing.
Frustrated passengers
India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, but the surge in demand has led to chaotic scenes on flights, with some people struggling to overcome their nerves and adapt to flying etiquette.
According to a report seen by the BBC, a series of recent incidents have highlighted the "growing menace of unruly passengers in India".
On one occasion, a passenger tried to open a door shortly before take-off while a flight circling around Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing after a group of passengers approached the cockpit to complain.
The BBC's Damian Grammaticas said one airport manager quoted in the report said troublemakers were often first-time fliers, but bureaucrats, politicians and other professionals had also proved unruly.
The report recommends that people should be taught the do's and don'ts of air travel and that airlines should be able to breathalyse passengers before boarding if they seem drunk.
Ajay Jasra, from budget carrier Spicejet, told the BBC that there were many reasons why passengers became disturbed.
"Inadequate airport infrastructure, lack of food and nicotine, long delays due to congestion, fog or whatever can frustrate people," he said.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk