Kingfisher Airlines prides itself as the "King of Good Times", full of glamour and model quality cabin crew. A British trio took things too literally and decide to have a "bang" from Bangalore.

Sarah Hannon. Image copyright The Sun.

As per The Sun newspaper, model and cover-girl Sarah Hannon and her boyfriend Daniel Melia boarded IT001 from Bangalore to London Heathrow. Through the flight Sarah Hannon indulged in quite a few drinks (hey Kingfisher is also India's largest alcoholic beverages company), and fell asleep in a drunken stupor.

Daniel Melia got the itch for fellow passenger Clare Irby and decided to “get on well” underneath a blanket with her but was stopped by one of the Kingfisher cabin crew.

Obviously there must have been a commotion since Sarah Hannon woke up, caught her boyfriend romping in a "sky-high" sex act, and flew in to a rage. She had to be calmed down by the crew at 30,000ft.

Armed cops boarded Kingfisher Airlines Flight IT001 on its arrival at London's Heathrow airport, and arrested the trio.

Mr Melia, 36, and Ms Irby, 29, were arrested for alleged gross indecency while Sarah Hannon, 35, was held for being drunk on an aircraft. All three were released on bail.

None of the three had any comment.

Qatar Airways has won the annual SkyTrax airline award for the best Economy Class in the world, which means a lot in these tough economic times when passengers are increasingly moving to the back of the plane from the front.


Qatar Airways recently revamped its Economy Class meal service using a more environment friendly, upmarket, appetising and stylish way.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar clearly has his priorities well targeted, summing up his airline's approach

“Most airlines invest heavily in developing their premium cabins and, while we continue to do this, Qatar Airways strives to innovate in Economy Class ensuring our high standards are maintained and passenger expectations are exceeded worldwide.”

Etihad Airways won the prize for the best Business Class, narrowly beating Singapore Airlines, who won the prize for best First Class. Virgin Atlantic won the prize for best Premium Economy Class, a high in demand travel class nowadays

Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates won the top five spots for "Airline of the Year 2009" respectively.

View the full results here.

Most travellers to Bengaluru International Airport are aware of the 80 km/h (50 mph) speed limit on the highway and the two "Police Interceptor" vehicles to catch speeders and video capture them in the act.

These anonymous photographs shows a police Jeep speeding, but being let off, while a private citizen who was also speeding was hauled up at the same time.

It appears that some speeders are more equal than others.

Police Jeep registration KA-02-G-991 travelling at over 100km/h on the highway approaching Air Force Station Yelahanka. Observe the lack of an English number plate as specified by the RTO.


The Jeep approaches the "Interceptor" at over 100km/h. In the adjacent lane a Maruti Baleno is also speeding.



The traffic constable hauls up the Maruti Baleno for speeding making the car pull over. The police Jeep brakes as the constable moves to haul it in as well.


The inspector manning the "interceptor" realises that a senior officer is in the Jeep, salutes and lets the Jeep proceed.



The police Jeep speeds away with a puff of exhaust smoke while the private citizen is hauled in.


I have tremendous respect for the traffic police, and wish the rest of Bangaloreans also do. But when the police indulge in such blatant "selective enforcement" it lowers their prestige, their respect, and most important, their moral authority.

These photographs by someone (not me) who was travelling from the airport to the city.

Liz Matzelle captured this two minute video of a Cessna 152 registration N4937P trying to land on the super long runway at Paine field, home of Boeing. The antics of the pilot are hilarious.

Thanks to Liz.

Air France KLM and GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A., which comprises the GOL and VARIG brands, have signed a commercial cooperation agreement which will enable the 15 million customers who are members of AIR FRANCE and KLM’s “Flying Blue” and GOL’s 6 million “Smiles” frequent flyer programmes to have access to new Frequent Flyers benefits and destinations.

Beginning May 1, Flying Blue members can earn Miles on all GOL and Varig flights and Smiles cardholders can earn Miles on Air France and KLM’s networks. From July 1, all Flying Blue and Smiles members be able to use their miles as award tickets on all three airlines (Air France, KLM, GOL/Varig). Also from May 1 to July 31 2009, Flying Blue cardholders will earn double miles on all GOL/VARIG flights and Smiles members will earn double miles when travelling on Air France and KLM flights.

The agreement has provisioned for code-sharing. By mid 2009, Air France will be adding its code to GOL flights between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and thirteen major Brazilian cities: Belem, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Campinas, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Fortaleza, Iguassu Falls, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and Vitoria. More cities could be added later. A similar agreement is being prepared between KLM and GOL.

Hello Bangalore Aviation supporters, it is Friday, and trivia time again. This week's question:

Which was the last flight of Concorde ?

You will have to take a giant leap backwards to find the answer, but it is right here on Bangalore Aviation.

Remember to check back on Monday for the answer.

Jet Airways announced plans to launch a new service to Dubai from Chennai, as well as a second service on the Mumbai Dubai sector, from April 23 using its two class Boeing 737-800 narrow body aircraft.

The airline currently has two daily flights to Dubai, one from Mumbai and one from New Delhi.

The schedules of the announced new flights are :

9W 546 depart Chennai 12:45 hrs, arriving Dubai 15:30 hrs.
9W 545 depart Dubai 16:30 hrs, arriving Chennai 22:15 hrs.

9W 542 depart Mumbai 09:30 hrs, arriving Dubai 11:05 hrs.
9W 541 depart Dubai 12:35 hrs, arriving Mumbai at 17:10 hrs.

This Mumbai Dubai flight is timed to offer connections to Jet's extensive domestic network.

Passengers travelling on these new services may also earn Double JPMiles and enjoy a 25 per cent discount on Jet Award tickets up to May 31, 2009.

2008 was the year reality struck home in the Indian airline industry. One whiff of the downturn exposed the lack of robust business planning, and abundance of financial vulnerability of Indian carriers, leaving all of them battered and bruised, some more than others.

We saw mass-scale defaulting on payments by carriers in India to everyone from airports to aircraft manufacturers.

Touted as THE growth sector of the future by both Boeing and Airbus in 2007, in the last nine months, domestic airlines have slashed capacity and with very shallow pockets, pulled back at least one-third of their aircraft orders due for delivery this year.

India’s domestic airline capacity shrank by more than 8%, compared with 3.5% in Japan and growth of 18% in China.

As late as mid 2008 Boeing, Airbus SAS and Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA (Embraer) were projecting delivery of 91 aircraft during 2009. They will now thank the stars if they can deliver the reduced quantity of 57 aircraft expected this year.

Both Boeing and Airbus are claiming that no airline has "cancelled orders", but this statement does not account for the deferrals in delivery and the diversion sales of aircraft by Indian carriers to foreign airlines.

In this highly competitive market, it appears that Boeing has the upper hand. It is facing deferral of only two of its 22 expected deliveries down 10%, while Airbus is down 53% expecting to deliver only 32 out of the expected 68 aircraft in large part due to Kingfisher. Embraer increased its delivery tally to five aircraft up 500% from the projected one thanks to the phenomenal growth of Paramount Airways their main customer

Boeing Customers

Jet Airways with fleet of 111 aircraft accounts for the two deferrals of Boeing. One 777-300ER and one 737. Jet has leased out a significant portion of its wide-body fleet. A total of seven of its eleven uber-luxurious Boeing 777-300ERs to Turkish Airlines THY and Gulf Air, and two each of its Airbus A330-200s to Oman Air and Gulf Air. Jet has called for a further ten per cent cut in seat capacity and is now trying to leasing out its narrow body Boeing 737s.

Image courtesy and copyright A.J. Best. Used with his permission. Please do not re-use without permission.

SpiceJet with 12.5 per cent growth will take delivery of 12 Boeing 737-800s/900s, one each quarter for the next three years adding to its fleet of 14 Boeing 737-800s and 900s.

Air India backed by the Government of India, will take delivery of its new Boeing 737-800s, four 777-300ERs and and three 777-200LRs by September, as scheduled. Air India (domestic and international combined) has a fleet of 150 aircraft. The combined order to Boeing and Airbus was for 111 aircraft.

Airbus Customers

The largest domestic carrier and most aggressive Airbus customer Kingfisher Airlines is in terrible financial shape. It led all Asian carriers with a 17.1 per cent capacity cut and has held its expansion to its existing 76 aircraft not withstanding the fracas with GECAS on four of its aircraft. It has diverted its three of its five A340-500s to Arik Air of Nigeria, the balance two have become "white tails" at Toulouse. Of the five A330-200s delivered, two are lying idle. Kingfisher is now in talks with Arik Air in an effort to lease them. The deliveries of the A380 have been deferred yet again. Even pending deliveries of ATR42s and 72s from the Air Deccan days are languishing at Toulouse. Kingfisher has been forced to defer delivery of 32 of 48 Airbus A320 planes that were due for delivery in late 2008 and in 2009 and is also diverting its narrow body A320 family orders to foreign airlines like Turkish THY. So while Airbus may deliver planes to an Indian airline, the aircraft may never come to India.

IndiGo along with fellow value carrier SpiceJet has been registered increasing market share, and has recently taken delivery of its 19th Airbus A320. It is maintaining a more conservative but steady delivery rate.

Air India domestic (formerly Indian Airlines) will maintain its delivery with Airbus for the narrow body A320 family having recently taken delivery of three each A321-200s and A319-100s. Airbus has also commenced discussions with Air India on the A380 superjumbo and hopes to convince the airline to buy a few.

While both Boeing and Airbus do not expect any new orders from the Indian market in the near to medium term, they continue to be bullish on India and maintain their market forecasts which estimates that the country’s airlines would buy up to 1,100 planes over the next 20 years.

For today only, value airline JetBlue Airways is offering seats on sale for just $14 each way on non-stop flights between San Francisco International Airport and both New York City/JFK and Los Angeles/Long Beach for travel from today through April 8, 2009.

The $14 fares to/from San Francisco are available until 11:59 p.m. MDT today, April 2, 2009, or until availability is gone, whichever is first. Travel must take place between April 2, 2009 and April 8, 2009. Full details are available here.

All I can say is huh?!?!?! Most major U.S. airlines charge more than $14 to just check in a bag!!! If I recall correctly, on JetBlue, the first checked bag is still free.

Call it post 26/11 jitters, but an quick reacting flight attendant and under-cover commandos caused a security flap and high drama at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

An Air India Airbus A320-200, IC-401 from New Delhi to Kolkata with 104 people on board, was lined up awaiting clearance for take-off when a woman passenger, an off duty flight attendant for another airline, alerted cabin crew of the suspicious behaviour of three fellow passengers travelling together, after she observed one of them reading a book about Air Disasters.

When she questioned them they were dismissive claiming the book had nothing to do with her. Her suspicions raised the off-duty flight attendant passenger alerted the Air India cabin crew. The three suspect passengers refused to answer questions about the book to the on-duty crew and also did not identify themselves.

The quick reacting Air India flight attendant informed the captain, who, following procedure decided to return to the gate.

The alert created high drama. As the airplane returned to the gate, security forces cordoned off the airplane and interrogated the three suspect passengers, who turned out to be three commandos of the elite Special Protection Group,which is entrusted with protecting amongst others, the Prime Minister of India.

The book they were reading was a training manual. For obvious reasons SPG commandos are expected not to reveal their identity, so no action could be taken against the commando for failing to clear the air at the outset. The airplane was finally able to depart after a delay of two hours.

Talk about the ultimate anti-climax.

What is your view of this incident? Post a comment.

Hat tip to Simon Hradecky for the tip.

In repeat incident, another Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma helicopter, this one operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters, has crashed off the north east coast of Scotland in the North Sea with 16 on board.

Unlike the last time, when all persons on board survived, this time it appears 10 persons have lost their lives.

The Coastguards says the incident happened about 40 miles north east of Aberdeen, just before 1400 (1300 GMT), as the helicopter returned from British Petroleum's Miller field.

The U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency says a supply vessel called Normand Aurora had put its fast response boat into the water and was looking for survivors. Two helicopters from the RAF and a Nimrod marine patrol aircraft have been diverted to the area.

The earlier incident also involving the Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma occurred on February 19 this year. With two crashes less than 45 days apart questions about this workhorse helicopter are sure to be raised.

Read more news reports here, here and here.

Austrian Airlines' Boeing 767-300ER registration OE-LAE became the first European airline aircraft to successfully convert and add winglets. This following American Airlines successful conversion and implementation of the blended winglets made by Aviation Partners Boeing.

Austrian Airlines is in a pioneering position since its committed to the conversion at an early stage, and will now enjoy "clear competitive advantage over other carriers". These include :

• Saving of about 1,000 tons of fuel per year per aircraft
• Increase of range by about 670km per flight
• Increase in payload by about 5 tons

Efforts are on to convert the balance three 767s as early as May 2009.

Image courtesy Aviation Partners

Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) has beaten four other competing airports in the Indian sub-continent and bagged the Routes Asia Airport Marketing award from its customers -- the airlines.

Congratulations to Marcel Hungerbuehler and his team, most especially Ashutosh Chandra who leads airline marketing efforts at BIAL.

The airlines within Asia nominated five airports whose marketing efforts during 2009 made a real impact on their future network development plans.

The airlines considered the efficient and useful marketing activities of the airports on their network, by geographical region, irrespective of their size.

The award was based on how creatively an airport has made the most of its available resources, initiatives taken to improve the airport’s infrastructure, the terminal and runway, and on how best an airport tried to develop airline relationships, keep existing routes and secure new ones. The airports were also judged on the basis of new routes launched and growth in traffic.

BIA has attracted seven new airlines to Bangalore, though Gulf Air has withdrawn service till end October due to the slide in air traffic.

However, the international airlines have a grouse with the BIAL management. Domestic carriers are defaulting on payments and then deducting 15 per cent to make "timely" payments. International airlines are paying on time but are being denied any rebates.

I really feel for the BIAL management. They are in a very tight spot, and the financial woes of Kingfisher Airlines who operates 40 per cent of Bangalore's flights on adds to their worries.

Hopefully this minor spat should get resolved soon.

A Jetlite Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SJH performing flight S2-320 from Kolkata to New Delhi with 140 persons on board, was forced to make three landing attempts due to weather and a fault Instrument Landing System at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The flight was on approach to New Delhi's runway 29, when a thunderstorm went into its final approach and landing path. The crew aborted the landing and requested for a different runway.

Air Traffic Control (ATC) vectored the aircraft for an ILS approach to runway 11 (the opposite side of runway 29). However, when the crew attempted to intercept the ILS localizer on runway 11, the ILS was found to be malfunctioning.

Air Traffic Control then instructed the pilots to swing over to runway 10. However, while the airplane manoeuvred to align with runway 10, Air Traffic Control reported that the ILS on runway 11 was now working.

The airplane finally landed on runway 11 on the third approach 20 minutes after the first approach attempt.

JetLite refused to answer my queries if they have lodged any complaint or protest about the malfunctions with either the Airports Authority of India (AAI) whose controllers operate the ATC or with the airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). They issued me this statement

"Due to weather detected on the aircraft weather radar S2 320 requested a runway change from R/W 29 to R/W 11. While the aircraft was being vectored for an approach to R/W 11, non-availability of the ILS (Instrument Landing System) of R/W 11 necessitated the change of the approach to R/W10. However, during the approach to R/W 10 a downgrade of the R/W10 ILS and subsequent availability of R/W 11 ILS resulted in the approach and landing being made on R/W 11. The changes in the approaches did not result in any go-arounds."

METARS:
VIDP 291300Z 00000KT 3500 HZ SCT035 FEW040CB BKN090 23/19 Q1010 TEMPO TSRA
VIDP 291230Z 18005KT 3500 HZ SCT035 FEW040CB BKN100 23/19 Q1009 TEMPO TSRA
VIDP 291200Z 18006KT 3500 -DZ SCT035 FEW040CB BKN100 23/18 Q1009 TEMPO TSRA
VIDP 291100Z 18005KT 3500 HZ SCT035 FEW040CB BKN100 26/17 Q1009 NOSIG
VIDP 291030Z 20005KT 3500 HZ SCT035 FEW040CB BKN100 26/17 Q1009 NOSIG
VIDP 290930Z 31005KT 2800 TS SCT035 FEW040CB BKN100 27/17 Q1010 BECMG 3000
VIDP 290900Z 28003KT 2800 HZ SCT035 FEW040CB BKN100 28/17 Q1010 NOSIG
VIDP 290830Z 01005KT 2600 HZ FEW035 FEW040CB BKN100 28/17 Q1010 NOSIG
VIDP 290730Z 32005KT 2800 HZ FEW035 FEW040CB BKN100 27/18 Q1010 BECMG 3000
VIDP 290700Z 34005KT 2800 HZ FEW035 FEW040CB BKN100 27/18 Q1011 NOSIG

Thanks to Simon Hradecky at Aviation Herald for the tip.