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.

Cathay Pacific recently launched a promotional return fare of Rs 7,999 on its direct Delhi-Bangkok service, against a normal fare from other airlines in the range of Rs 15, 500-19,000.

Including the recently introduced Rs 1,300 Airport Development Fee (ADF) charged by the Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), the total fare works out to an astoundingly low Rs. 9,299.

The special fare is valid till April 10, 2009, and and travel between March 30 and May 30, 2009. Read the offer here.

Tom Wright, General Manager, Cathay Pacific said,

“These ultra-low special fares have been a big cracker as soon after the announcement, the inquiries have went up sharply both on our website and with the tour operators. The response has been terrific and we could also be looking some innovative fares for other sectors.”

We can expect competing airlines on this route, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Jet Airways and Air India to match this fare soon even if they claim the Cathay fare is "abysmally low".

The airport operators at Delhi and Mumbai airports have a mantra as far us passengers go. "Heads I win, tails you lose"

After a messy process, in May 2006, the Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was handed over to the Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) consortium led by the GMR group, for modernising, handling and management. GMR won the bid for by promising to share 46% of the airport’s top-line revenue with the current owner Airports Authority of India (AAI).

DIAL estimates for their master plan was Rs 8,975 crore ($1.8 billion). Funds were to be raised by a combination of equity, borrowings and Rs. 2,739 crore ($476 million) refundable security deposits on commercial property development of what was called a “hospitality district”.


Through the middle of 2006 till the latter half of 2007, DIAL tried, what can only be charitably described as a very devious method, to reduce the revenue paid to AAI as part of their 46% revenue share. In short, DIAL demanded astronomical deposits upfront from bidders for the real estate project, in return for a reduction in long term rent, and then contended these deposits were not income, and therefore need not be shared with AAI. For full and gory details I refer you to Sunil Jain’s article “Mr. 20 per cent” in the Business Standard. Since this scheme would have cut AAI’s revenue share by almost half, it confronted DIAL and forced the consortium to put its plans on hold.

This delay cost DIAL dearly. By the time all disputes were settled in late 2007, the property market collapsed, and along with it the grandiose plans of raising the required Rs. 2,739 crore from security deposits, without which the bankers would not lend any more money.

Hanging the upcoming 2010 Commonwealth Games as a Damocles sword, DIAL quickly ran to their friends in the Indian Civil Aviation ministry for help, and help they did.

On February 10, the government approved a levy of an "Airport Development Fee" (ADF) by DIAL. From March 1, we passengers are forced to pay ADF at the rate of Rs 200 per domestic passenger and Rs 1,300 per passenger travelling abroad, totalling a whopping Rs. 1827 crores ($366 million) over three years. This, keep in mind, is on top of a recent 10% increase in fees the airport charges airlines, which is ultimately passed on to us passengers.

In a "me-too" move, fellow brown-field airport operator, GVK led Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL), seized the opportunity to gain a bonanza, and has obtained approval for levy of an ADF, again, on top of a recent hike of airport charges levied on airlines, which, by the way, was used by DIAL as justification for demanding a hike.

In a totally unjustified move, the government today approved levying an ADF at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). Rs. 100 will be charged from every outbound domestic passenger and Rs. 600 from each international passenger, effective April 1, 2009, totalling Rs. 1,543 crores ($309 million) over the next four years.

Forget the fact that MIAL is facing no "commonwealth games" type deadline, or that they have till date, spent less than one-third of what DIAL has already spent on developing the airport.

Unfortunately, this is a slippery slope the Government put itself and us passengers on, when they approved ADF for DIAL. They have no grounds for refusing MIAL's demands.

The justification offered by DIAL, MIAL, and their friends in the ministry, is the ADF will be used to develop aeronautical assets which will be transferred back to AAI upon completion of the lease. Never mind that the lease is for 58 years, and passengers are being asked to pay for future assets that they may not use, and this asset creation is precisely what the property development concession rights were meant to cover ???

When both these airport operators bid for the respective airports, there was no condition or plan for the levy of ADF. It was never part of the initial bidding conditions, process or bid documents.

Had the property market not collapsed, DIAL and MIAL would have made a killing on the property development. In such a scenario would DIAL and MIAL have paid an amount equal to the ADF back to passengers as they share of gain? If the economic tide has turned, it a business risk and ultimately DIAL's and MIAL's problem.

It all boils down to DIAL and MIAL raising the collateral money insisted by the banks who have agreed to lend the remaining amount. Unfortunately the shareholders of DIAL and MIAL do not have the financial strength to do.

They have a means to raise the funds, like any other company in the world. They can sell their shares and raise equity. So DIAL and MIAL can sell shares to us passengers against the ADF.

If airport operators want us passengers to bear their share of the risks, it is only fair that we be given our share in the rewards.

The new domestic departure terminal T1D at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was inaugurated today by Mr. Praful Patel India's Civil Aviation minister.

The new terminal is located between the existing Domestic Arrival T1C and Domestic Departure T1A, and will raise the capacity of domestic departures to 10 million passengers per annum.

The terminal is a dual level terminal with departures at the upper level. It features eight entry gates, and a four layer in-line baggage X-ray system which will free passengers from having to get their check in bags scanned prior to check-in. There are 72 check-in counters and 16 self check-in kiosks spread across 8 rows. The terminal features the CUTE or Common Use Terminal Equipment system, which allows dynamic allocation of counters to airlines depending on need.

Hopefully the CISF would man all 16 channels of the security check to ensure quick and smooth passage for travellers.

The large departure lounge features food and beverage outlets, lounges and retail areas spread across 2 levels.

The airport operator DIAL has announced availability of Wi-fi internet connectivity, but details are not provided.

Flight boarding will take place at the lower level via coach bus to the aircraft via 16 boarding gates. Again it remains to be seen, how many of these gates are operated in parallel by the CISF.

In addition, a special ‘Contact Zone’ service will be available near the terminal entrance to provide facilities for passengers with special needs - passing through the Airport. These would include wheel-chair assistance for physically challenged passengers, assistance for unaccompanied minors amongst others.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) on the most profitable airlines in the world, announced today further route adjustments as part of the 11 per cent reduction of capacity from April 2009 to March 2010.

While Bangalore remains unaffected, for now, most other gateways of New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad have already been or are being affected by this latest announcement.

I cannot help but compare the withdrawal of services by most international carriers to the massive ramp-up by Emirates and other middle-east airlines in India.

When I visited the airport yesterday, during discussions with various friends, I was informed that the two of the three Emirates flights were going full, and the third was also respectable.

A number of changes have already been announced and some effected, including the withdrawal of service to Amritsar (from Feb 09) and Vancouver (from Apr 09), lower frequency of flights to India, as well as a cutback on the non-stop flights between Singapore and the USA.

A whopping 17 aircraft will be decommissioned from the operating fleet, up from an earlier forecast of four aircraft to be phased out.

The new changes shown below will be in effect from March 29 to October 24, unless specified otherwise:

Europe

For the London route, one of the three daily flights will be replaced with a B777-300ER plane from end-March.

The change in aircraft from the B747-400 will result in a seat count reduction of 97, a minus 7.5 per cent difference a day.

Flights to Manchester will be at three times weekly from May, down from the present five times weekly.

Australia

The frequency of service to Sydney will be reduced from four to three times daily till July.

North Asia

Services to Seoul will be reduced to twice-daily, from its already-reduced schedule of 17 times weekly. One flight will continue on to San Francisco.

Japan, the Singapore-Bangkok-Tokyo service will reduce from six to five flights per week.

China, flights to Beijing will decrease from 21 to 17 weekly. Guangzhou and Nanjing services will reduce to five and two per week respectively.

Flights to Hong Kong will be reduced from a weekly 42 to 35.

West Asia

Aside from already announced changes affecting Indian gateways (see details below), Colombo and Male will each be served by five flights per week, down from seven.

Southeast Asia

In the region, the Jakarta route will see a reduction from 56 to 49 a week, while Bangkok flights will be cut from 41 to 33 per week.

Other routes, such as Brisbane, Perth, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Rome will now be operated with variable frequencies depending on the season.

---

Flights to India

Hyderabad-Singapore services, SQ439 and SQ438, will be reduced from four to three times weekly, with the suspension of the Saturday service from February 21.

SQ405 and SQ406, between New Delhi and Singapore, will be reduced from a six times weekly service, to five times weekly service. Changes will apply from March 10 to 24, as flights on Tuesdays during that period will be suspended.

For Mumbai and Singapore, services SQ421 and SQ422 will be progressively reduced from five to four times weekly services, starting February 27. Flights on Fridays will be suspended.

Morning flights to Chennai will be cut.

The Government has approved the levy of Development Fee (DF) by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) @ Rs.1300/- per departing international passenger and @ Rs.200/- per departing domestic passenger with effect from 1 March, 2009. The DF which is being levied purely on an adhoc basis, is inclusive of all applicable taxes and is for a period of 36 months only.

This approval shall be reviewed specifically upon the following milestones:

• DIAL will submit final project cost estimates within 6 months of the commencement of the levy of DF, i.e. latest by 31 August, 2009. The project cost so submitted, including amount of contingencies, and their utilization shall be audited by an independent technical auditor to be appointed by Airport Authority of India (AAI) or as the Regulator / Government may decide.
• DIAL will undertake a review of the bidding process in respect of the hospitality district. They may approach the Government with the outcome of the review within 6 months of the commencement of the levy, i.e. latest by 31 August, 2009.

The approval is subject to the following conditions:-

• The final determination of levy may be made by the Government/Regulator upon compliance of the above two milestones.
• Following procedure monitoring mechanism shall be followed:
1. DF receipts would be deposited in a separate Escrow Account. Modalities of the Escrow Account may be decided by DIAL, with the approval of the AAI, atleast one week before the commencement of levy.
2. AAI and the Central Government would have supervening powers in respect of Escrow Account to ensure that all receipts are properly accounted for and are utilized only for permitted purposes. These powers may include stoppage of withdrawal by DIAL.
3. Presently, other capital receipts like equity and debt funds are channelized through another Escrow Account of DIAL as per OMDA requirements. The Independent Auditor appointed by AAI, presently verifies only the revenue as defined in Article 1.1. of OMDA and not the receipts of capital nature and utilization thereof. As a condition of this approval, DIAL would be required to subject such capital receipts and expenditure also to AAI supervision.
4. All accounting and auditing practices, as would have been applicable to AAI, will be applicable to DF receipts and expenditure by DIAL. The modalities in this respect should be worked out between AAI and DIAL, atleast one week before the commencement of levy.
5. The compliance in respect of the above issues will be furnished by AAI and DIAL to the Central Government on event basis as well as on a periodical monthly basis.

• It will be ensured that DF is utilized for the development of such “Aeronautical Assets” only, which are “Transfer Assets” in terms of OMDA.
• DIAL should report the collection and usage of DF on a monthly basis to Central Government / Regulator through AAI.
• The levy will be reviewed 6 months after commencement by the Regulator/Central Government and thereafter at such intervals as the Regulator/Central Government may decide.
• At the stage of final determination, Regulator/Central Government will ensure adequate consultation with the users.
• The amount collected through DF would not in any case exceed the ceiling of Rs.1827/- crores (NPV as on 1.3.2009). The ceiling amount would be exclusive of taxes, if any.
• The balance amount of Rs.1250 crores received as shareholders advance (i.e., Rs.1750 crores net of Rs.500 crores to be appropriated towards equity) would be retained by DIAL. Any escalations of cost would be met from the amount so retained. In case the cost escalation is less than the retained amount, the ceiling amount of Rs.1827 crores would be reduced by an amount which is equal to the difference between the retained amount of Rs.1250 crores and the amount representing project cost escalation beyond Rs.8975 crores.
• Rate and tenure of levy are premised upon the traffic projections and other estimates. In case due to actual figures being different than those estimated, the collections during levy period exceed the amount of Rs.1827 crores (NPV as on 1.3.2009) or any other amount which the Regulator/Central Government may determine, the excess amount so collected shall not be utilized, for any purpose whatsoever, without the prior approval of the Regulator/Central Government.

The Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL) are undertaking modernization, development and upgradation of IGI Airport, New Delhi as per the approved Master Plan. DIAL had estimated that the Master Plan will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs. 8975 crores. Requisite funds were to be raised through Rupee Term Loan, External Commercial Borrowings (ECB), Base Equity, Internal Accruals and Refundable Security Deposits (RSD) from Hospitality District (commercial property development). However, it has now been brought to the notice of the Central Government that DIAL are unable to raise Refundable Security Deposits to the extent anticipated and a substantial short fall is expected. It has also been stated that the lenders have not agreed to extend any further debt as the existing debt arrangement takes into account all possible revenue streams and have suggested that levy in the nature of capital receipts to leverage any additional debt. The shareholders have brought in shareholders’ advances to the extent of Rs. 1250 crores and are not in a position to take additional equity exposure beyond Rs. 1200 crores. Further, the present declining air traffic scenario has adversely impacted the revenue streams of DIAL and the Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR). Accordingly, DIAL have proposed a levy of DF under Section 22A of the AAI Act, 1994 @ Rs. 350/- per departing domestic passenger and @ Rs. 1000 per departing international passenger for a period of 39 months.

The proposal of DIAL was examined by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in consultation with the Ministry of Law and Airports Authority of India. The Government also engaged M/s KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. to undertake diligence and verification of the proposal submitted by DIAL. Government has been advised that DIAL can levy DF under Section 22A read with Section 12A of the AAI Act for the purposes mentioned in clause (a) of Section 22A. Further, the completion of project by March 2010, i.e., in time for Common Wealth Games 2010 was of utmost importance. Keeping in view the position that all other funding options appeared to have been exhausted, there was no option but to levy a pre-funding charge as contemplated under Section 22A so as to ensure timely completion of the project. Such pre-funding charges are accepted by ICAO subject to compliance with laid down guidelines/principles.

The Central Government have, accordingly, approved the levy of DF by DIAL @ Rs. 1300 per departing international passenger and @ Rs. 200 per departing domestic passenger w.e.f. 1.03.2009 for a period of 36 months, inclusive of all applicable taxes, purely on an ad-hoc basis, to fund an estimated short fall of Rs. 1827 crores. This approval is subject to review after 6 months when DIAL is expected to furnish the final project cost, which will be audited by an Independent Technical Auditor. DIAL have also been advised to review the bidding process of the Hospitality District to explore the possibility of raising further resources therefrom. A detailed accounting/monitoring mechanism is required to be put in place, inter-alia, including deposit of all DF receipts in a separate Escrow Account where AAI and the Central Government will have supervening powers; the account will be maintained as per accounting and audit procedures followed by AAI etc. AAI will play a critical role in the monitoring of levy and usage of DF and keep the Ministry apprised. The DF receipts shall be utilized only for construction of such “aeronautical assets” as are required to be “transferred” to AAI by DIAL upon expiry of the lease of IGI airport. The shareholders advances amounting to Rs. 1250 crores shall be retained in the project to fund expected increase in project costs.

Source : Press Information Bureau, Government of India

Contact Zone, a first of its kind service at Indian Airports, has been established near Gate 1 of Terminal 2 (International) at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for catering to passengers with special needs, like physically challenged passengers, and unaccompanied minors amongst others.

Currently, facilitation for passengers requiring special assistance is coordinated directly by the airline. However, security rules prevent those accompanying the passengers inside the terminal creating difficulty for the passengers. The ‘Contact Zone’ is aimed at bridging this gap by facilitating the coordination between the airlines and the traveller.

Two parking slots are reserved in the Contact Zone for passengers requiring Wheel Chair assistance, and the airport operator, DIAL's Customer Service Executives and porters have been deputed for coordination and facilitation.

While the passengers wait in the special area provided, the Executive posted at the Contact Zone will in turn contact the concerned airline for deputing their staff for help complete the departure formalities. DIAL has requested the airlines to depute staff to frequently visit the drop off area.

At present the 'Contact Zone' will cater only to international passengers, but it expected to be extended to the new domestic departure terminals, but a time frame has not been provided.

While not much to write home about, this is a step in the right direction. Indian aviation has a very poor track record when it comes to catering to the special needs passenger.

Singapore Airlines is making further adjustments to its route network, primarily cutting back flights to various destinations in India, Thailand, Europe, and USA, while increasing capacities to the middle east.

The changes, will take place progressively from now and will apply for the rest of the Northern Winter schedule (i.e. till end-March 2009), and will most likely continue in to the Summer schedule.

India
Hyderabad-Singapore services SQ439 and SQ438 will be reduced from four to three times weekly, with the suspension of the Saturday service from 21 February. Service will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

New Delhi-Singapore services SQ405 and SQ406 will be reduced from a six times weekly service, to five times weekly service, from 10 March to 24 March 2009, as flights on Tuesdays during this period will be suspended.

Mumbai-Singapore services SQ421 and SQ422 will be progressively reduced from five to four times weekly services, starting 27 February 2009. Flights on Fridays will be suspended.

Thailand
Bangkok-Singapore services SQ972 and SQ975 will be suspended from 2 February until the end of the Northern Winter Schedule bringing Singapore Airlines capacity to 25 flights weekly.

USA
Newark-Singapore and Los Angeles-Singapore non-stop services performed by the Airbus A340-500; frequency will reduce by two flights to five weekly flights on each route. The Tuesday and Wednesday services, will be suspended.

Ironically, Thai Airways, who has been unable to find a buyer for its suspended A340-500 aircraft, is resuming Bangkok-USA non-stop services.

Europe
United Kingdom
London Heathrow-Singapore services SQ308 and SQ319 will be suspended on Mondays and Thursdays between 9 and 23 March 2009. Total frequency on the Singapore-London route will reduce from 21 to 19 flights per week.

Switzerland
Zurich-Singapore services SQ342 and SQ341 will be reduced from daily to five times weekly, from 9 March 2009. Total frequency on the Singapore-Zurich route will reduce from 14 to 12 flights per week.

Middle East
Kuwait and Abu Dhabi
Singapore Airlines will commence four times weekly services to Kuwait, via Abu Dhabi, from 15 March 2009, with the introduction of SQ458 and SQ457 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Singapore Airlines will continue its existing three times weekly service to Abu Dhabi. With the addition of the Kuwait service, Abu Dhabi will become a daily service.

Egypt
Cairo-Singapore services SQ492 and SQ493 will increase from thrice weekly to four times a week from 12 March. The Cairo flights will operate via Dubai, thus increasing frequency between Singapore and Dubai to 16 per week.

My post The world's most delayed and most punctual airports, seems to have ignited a media frenzy within India.

Times of India carried snippets from the article Sunday 11th January, which became a national story, and was picked up later that morning by the TV networks.

A lot of Bangalore Aviation readers have been asking me questions relating to the article.

Why are Mumbai and Delhi airports at the top of the list of delayed flight arrivals?

It is actually very simple. At both airports the number of flights arriving per hour exceeds the capacity of the runways. At Mumbai, there are two runways, but they cross each other in an X shape. There are also limitations of taxiways, but, I will not go into such a high level of detail.

Bottom line, the capacity of Mumbai airport is 30 landings per hour, but with a little juggling and using the crossing runway, the Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) is able to push the number up to 36 per hour. But the demand is even higher.

It's a similar situation with Delhi airport, which inaugurated a new third runway, plagued with problems. Drainage, non-functional aeronautical aids, and to top it off, some faceless bureaucrat, probably encouraged by a narcissist politician, allowed a 40 feet (4 storey) tall statue of Lord Shiva along the path of the runway. Now the new runway cannot be used by the Airbus A380, the very aircraft it was specifically built for, till that statue is removed. And we all know, how very impossible that is, in a religiously charged India.

Add to this excess demand and weather. Fog in Delhi, and rains in Mumbai. The system is so over-capacity that it provides the ATC absolutely no room to manoeuvre during bad weather, and flights get even more delayed.

If Mumbai and Delhi are at the top of the list for delayed arrivals, why are they not at the top of the list for delayed departures?

The clock gets reset to the revised departure time, due to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft. The departure time is measured when the airplane doors are closed. Airlines get their passengers on board, close the doors, and then wait for taxi clearance. Due to the traffic jam in the skies, you will find that your aircraft will taxi, and then wait in line, for a long time, to take-off.

Why is Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at rank 4 in the Top 5 list of most delayed arrivals? Is it not an efficient airport?

BIA is an efficient airport, no doubt. I suspect three reasons. One is thrust on to BIA, one is temporary, and one needs to be addressed.

One, and this is the biggest reason, as the airport spokesperson said, Bangalore's dependence on trunk routes. i.e. Bangalore-Mumbai, Bangalore-Delhi, and more especially after the increase in fares, which dropped the bottom out of regional flights. Flights from Mumbai and Delhi, may leave their gate/stand on time, but get delayed in take-off. So the blame lands up on Bangalore's door-step for the late arrival. It is unfair.

Two, last year, when the new airport opened, there was massive disruption for about a month. I suspect this brought down the overall performance of Bangalore. On the positive side, everyone at BIA have been working very hard, and the kinks have been solved. I suspect Bangalore will be off the list in 2009.

Third, and I have highlighted it in my original post, is weather. Bangalore suffers from fog, between 15th November to 15th February, typically between 3AM and 8:30AM. 6AM to 10AM is peak period, and the fog impacts the performance of arriving and departing aircraft. While fog is limited to a short period in the year, the disruptions are significant enough, to lower the overall annual performance.

The Instrument Landing System at BIA, has been installed incorrectly. Despite being CAT-II capable, which will permit operations in poorer visibility conditions, the equipment is forced to function at CAT-I level. (For a better understanding of CAT levels please read this Wikipedia article).

How, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is responsible for the equipment, and has installed over a hundred ILS systems, managed this blunder, is beyond me. Repairs of the installation were to have been carried out during the first six months of operations, i.e. by end November 2008, but given the delays this winter season, they obviously have not.

What is the solution?

We all want to fly during the peak hours of 6AM and 10AM and 5PM and 7PM.

While domestic traffic has declined, the demand during peak hours is sharper. Now that the economy is in the tank, we want to reduce our costs and try and complete all our work in a day trip, or at least not waste the working hours, flying.

Mumbai and Delhi are still way too overloaded, especially during the peak period.

With overall reduction in air traffic and shrinking incomes, there is pressure from the private airport operators MIAL and DIAL, on the ATC to accommodate more flights, as they scramble to earn more income. I cannot fault them. They are in business for profit, not charity, but this adds to the problem.

This economic connection, is the single path to solutions.

The first part of the solution lies with the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA). It is time they woke up from their slumber, audit the airports, and allocate the maximum number of flights per hour. Any airport scheduling more flights than capacity pays a hefty fine, and is open to punitive law suits from delayed passengers for permitting flights greater than capacity.

To help the airports demand the needed reductions from the airlines, the second part of the solution lies in changing the system of flight slot allocations. India follows a system of "historic rights", i.e. once an airline gets a slot, then they continue to get that slot, till such time they revoke it. Which no airline ever does. Move to system of performance based allocation :

• If a flight gets delayed, they loose their place in the queue. Similar to an appointment at the doctor, wait for the next appointment to open up, rather than delaying everyone in the queue behind you.
• Mr. Airline you want a premium landing or take-off slot, pay a premium for it. Hey, but that is unfair to the low cost airlines ? Sorry, but life is not fair.

The airlines can recover the premiums they pay for the slot, from the passengers as a higher fare. They used to charge Rs. 150 ~ Rs. 300 "congestion surcharge", in any case. We passengers who are flying during peak hours, are already paying for them benefit.

Third, and this is partly under way, optimise the air traffic control system. Implement Gagan and the GBAS systems fast. Encourage airlines to use Performance Based Navigation (PBN), and reward those who do.

In the mean time, force the air traffic controllers and pilots to perform efficiently. Right now, the system calls for a two minute separation or 5 nautical miles (10km). World over airports function with a 90 second separation, some even at 60 seconds. A 25 per cent reduction in separation from 120 seconds to 90 seconds at the major airports, will result in a 50 per cent increase in capacity from 30 movements to 45 movements.

Pilots don't react fast enough in the sky, SPIN 'EM. They can land nice and easy sometime before the day is out. Foreign pilots cannot speak English fluently, DE-CERTIFY 'EM. They can fly in less congestion countries. Controllers cannot cope, TRANSFER 'EM. Let them go to nice and easy Jabalpur, Guwahati, or one of the smaller airports in India.

We risk a future similar to La Guardia airport, where the US Department of Transportation is forcing slot reductions, since the system cannot cope any more.

It is time for some radical solutions to this creaking system.

Singapore Airlines is reducing operations from Singapore to Mumbai and New Delhi, while Dragonair is cutting back on its Hong Kong Bangalore route.

Singapore - Mumbai
SQ422/SQ423, service is reduced from a daily to five a week (Daily except Tuesday and Thrursday) from February 9, 2009. Service operates with a Boeing 777-200.

Overall frequency to Mumbai reduced to 12 weekly from 14 weekly.

Singapore - Delhi
SQ406/SQ407, service reduced from a daily to six a week, operating Daily except Tuesday from February 6, 2009 to March 2, 2009. From March 3, 2009, service will operate Daily except Wednesday. Service operates with a Boeing 777-200

Overall frequency reduced to 13 weekly

Dragonair is reducing its Hong Kong - Bangalore service is reducing from a daily to five a week, operating daily except Thursday and Sunday, between February 9, 2009 and March 7, 2009. Service operates with an Airbus A330-300.

Jet Airways has announced a basket of special deals on its international flights. Remember all fares mentioned herein are exclusive of surcharge and taxes.

Mumbai/Delhi/Chennai/Kolkata – Singapore/Hong Kong/Bangkok

Companion Free Offer on Premiére (business class)
Jet Airways’ international Premiére customers travelling to Singapore and Hong Kong can now avail of exciting Companion Free travel offers.

A Mumbai – Singapore Premiére return fare is available for two persons travelling together for a sum of INR 1,01,250. Hong Kong is INR 94,500, Bangkok is INR 57,065.

Jet also has Delhi – Bangkok, Delhi - Singapore, Chennai - Singapore, Chennai – Kuala Lumpur, and Kolkata – Bangkok sectors.

Special offers for individual travel
Premiére class return fare of INR 54,000 for Mumbai - Hong Kong.

Economy class return fare of INR 7,480 for travel between Mumbai – Singapore, INR 12,635 for Mumbai – Singapore, INR 9,750 Mumbai - Bangkok.

Mumbai/Delhi – London Heathrow

Special offers for individual travel
India and London Heathrow, a special return Premiére fare of INR 85,000 for a 14 day Advance Purchase or APEX. Economy class fares start at INR 15,990.

Double JPMiles
Jet Airways JetPrivilege members travelling on Mumbai/Delhi - London return sectors can earn Double JPMiles until January 15, 2009. This is applicable on First Class, Premiére and Economy class travel.

Mumbai – New York (Newark / JFK)

Special offer for individual travel
Mumbai - New York (Newark / JFK) Economy class return fare of INR 32,600.

For further information and sales and travel validity, customers may visit www.jetairways.com, or contact their nearest travel agent, or call the reservations number (city code) 3989-3333, or call Toll free on 1800-22-55-22.

Heavy fog today hit air and train traffic at New Delhi, with about 20 flights from Indira Gandhi International Airport here being delayed and two cancelled while over 25 Delhi-bound trains running late by upto 11 hours.

Dense fog enveloped the airport around 11.30 am with runway visibility dropping to 600 metres which forced the airport authorities to implement the low visibility procedures.

The runway visibility continued to deteriorate and drop to 75 metres forcing some airlines to divert their flights to Jaipur and Mumbai.

While most airlines press relations claimed "near normal operations", on the ground, however, passengers had a different story to tell.

Real time flight arrival and departure information can be found here. Airport and airline call centre numbers and other details can be found in articles on New Delhi airport.

After a gap of 12 years, the Indian Air Force has deployed Mig 29 fighters to Hindon air base near New Delhi. This is the first time since 1996 that the base has reactivated for fighter aircraft operations after it was closed due to increasing bird activity near the base. At that time, MiG 27 were stationed there.

In 2006, the Indian Air Force certified Hindon for twin engine aircraft, and hence the Mig 29's have been deployed.

The action comes in the wake of intelligence reports warning of possible 9/11 like terror strikes. The deployment is on a "temporary basis" to tackle threat from any "rogue" aircraft.

The capital falls under the Western Air Command. Protection of New Delhi's skies was looked after by air bases in Amabala and Bareilly.

Three aircraft from Adampur and Halwara MiG 29 air bases in Punjab are present at the base.

Kari Stolbow, Director-Indian Subcontinent, of Finnair informed that despite the economic crisis, the airline's plans for the Indian market for next year have not changed.

Finnair will increase its flights between Helsinki and New Delhi to a daily service and Mumbai to six days a week. Finnair will also replace their existing Boeing MD-11 aircraft on the India with Airbus A340.

Stolbow also said that Finnair will be looking at South Indian cities likes Bangalore and Chennai for later stage expansion, keeping in mind the market progress. Finnair has already indicated the bilateral agreement is impeding it.

Finnair is positioning itself as the fastest route between India and the United States other than a non-stop flight.

For other cities, please see the right sidebar. For Delhi flight arrival and departure information from the airport's website click here.

Flight information is provided by FlightStats, and is subject to the FlightStats Terms of Use.

Just about 24 hours earlier, DIAL the operators of New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) were proudly drumming their success of zero impact of fog on the early morning of 10th December.

On 11th December, fifteen flights were delayed after a thick blanket of fog engulfed the capital, reducing the Runway Visibility Range (RVR) to 400 meters. This against an RVR of 850 meters on Wednesday when DIAL claimed 111 flight operations with zeo impact.

The airliners had to reschedule a number of flights to several domestic destinations, airport sources said. Also, a Spice Jet flight from Mumbai to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur.

The airport authorities had to initiate No Visibility Procedure at 6.54 a.m. as the RVR was very low, the sources said.

Contradicting earlier claims in a press release by the airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), about a dozen flights were delayed yesterday also due to the fog.

Meanwhile, the Met department has predicted more fog for the next two days.

I went back and checked the IGIA website and the press release has been removed.

New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) met its first fog challenge on 10th December, with zero impact on flights. As per a DIAL release there were zero diversions, re-schedules, or cancellations.

As per procedure, Safeguard procedures were initiated when Runway Visual Range (RVR) fell below 1,500 meters, at 0458 local on morning of 10 December. Low Visibility Procedure (LVP) was implemented when RVR fell to 850 meters at 0703 hours. 3 hours and 42 minutes later the LVP was terminated when RVR improved to 1,200 meters.

Runway 28-10 was used for both landing and take-off operations.

The technical details for aviation buffs like me:

• Runway in use: 28/10 (Arrivals and Departures)
• Safeguard procedure initiated: 0458 hrs, 10/Dec/2008 (RVR 1500m)
• LVP implemented: 0703 hrs, 10/Dec/2008 (RVR 850 m)
• LVP terminated: 1045 hrs, 10/Dec/2008 (RVR 1200 m) (Duration: 3 hrs 42 min.)
• Safeguard procedure terminated: 1140 hrs, 10/Dec/2008 (RVR 1500m)
• Total flights operated during LVP: 111 (96 domestic and 15 international flights)
• Total Number of flights diverted: NIL
• Flights rescheduled today: NIL
• Flights cancelled today: NIL

Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) the airport operator has taken steps to minimise the impact of fog and low visibility on flight operations and enhance passenger experience :

• The temporary kerbside extension of Terminal 1B has been replaced with a permanent structure and provided with heating, Additional seating ,and flight information display system. An additional seating area is also being provided for those seeing off their friends and family.
• A parallel wing now houses more space for check – in and baggage X-ray for passengers. This extension has been added to the Low Cost Carrier Wing of Terminal 1B.
• DIAL has also deployed specially trained Customer Service Staff to provide assistance & information to passengers. Additional car parking facility has been provided at IGI airport.
• The domestic arrival terminal has also been renovated and expanded. A portion of the renovated area has already been opened along with a large canopy for friends and family. In addition separate exit routes have been provided for the benefit of passengers availing pre-paid taxis.
• A brand new wing in the Security Hold Area of Terminal 1B was commissioned. The new seating area has 150 seats which are sufficient to cater to the load of one complete flight Additional F&B outlets have opened across the passenger terminals. These outlets are operated by leading F&B brands.
• An increased number of payphones and coin operated booths have been added at IGI Airport to help passengers.
• 55 aircraft parking bays have been provided with CAT III compatible lighting systems. Additions carried out over the last year have provided additional number taxi routings to smoothen aircraft movement and prioritize the movement of CAT III enabled aircraft.
• IGI Airport has augmented it’s call centre (+91 11 2566-1080) which will share the updated flight information and airlines’ contacts numbers.
• Special booklets with information on fog and do’s and don’ts for passengers and airline numbers are also being circulated.

All the major airports across India have been turned in to fortresses following perceived threats.

The jitters created a security scare at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport in the early hours of Friday, and triggered panic among passengers and sent security officials into a tizzy.

The chaos began when a sound similar to gunshots were reportedly heard from the facility.

The control room of the CISF received a call at around 1.10 am IST from passengers that they heard sound of gunshots from the vicinity of Gate 4 of international departure lounge of the airport.

The security was immediately stepped up but police could not ascertain the cause and the nature of firing. "We received a call that some passengers heard a sound similar to two gunshots, but there were no eyewitnesses. No evidence has so far come up to suggest that it was a firing and we cannot confirm it as a gunshot," DIG, CISF Udayan Banerjee said.

There is speculation that the initial "cracks" heard could have been a plastic bottle or tetra-pak coming under the wheels of some vehicle.

Post the 26/11 carnage, some pranksters are taking cheap thrills by attempting panic amongst an already jittery public.

But to re-iterate, everything at Delhi and across India is normal. Do not give in to "FUD".

-- Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt.

Images courtesy AP

PTI reports an anonymous e-mail threatening to blow up the international airport in New Delhi has prompted authorities to step up security by deploying additional forces inside and outside the facility.

The information about the e-mail was passed on to higher officials of the CISF, which is handling security at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), from Gujarat, CISF sources said today.

The airport has been on high alert since terrorists struck Mumbai on Wednesday night killing over 180 people and security was strengthened in the facility by intensifying checking and patrolling.

Sources said the CISF deployment inside the airport has been increased after the Mumbai terror attacks while Delhi Police had been roped in to provide more security to the facility.

"We have taken adequate precautions after receiving information about an email threatening to blow up the airport. There is nothing to panic. We are leaving nothing to chance. Adequate steps have been taken," a senior CISF official said.

The security establishment has also asked CISF to coordinate with Delhi Police to provide security to the 'city side' of the airport, which is outside the terminal building.

Fearing attack on aircraft, Delhi Police have already prohibited assembling of people or parking of vehicles at a 500-metre stretch on the NH-8 near the airport, popularly called "Jumbo point".

The order came in the wake of reports that a large number of people gather near the landing and take off area of the airport which may cause security risk for the aircraft.

I can only request pranksters not to play with the emotions of a stressed nation at this time, and at the same time, request passengers to take extra time. New Delhi is already the nation's most time consuming airport due to the high levels of security, and at this time of tension, it will only take longer.

The Press Trust of India reports, the third runway of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which was recently inaugurated, has been opened for round-the-clock operation from yesterday. The runway, which was inaugurated on August 21 this year by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, was opened for commercial operations from September 25, 2008 but could not be used round-the-clock due to technical problems with the runway lighting system.

“The operational hours of the new runway were increased in a phased manner in accordance to best global aviation practices. Following the encouraging feedback from all stakeholders such as airlines and Air Traffic Control (ATC) on successful operations since its opening, the runway will now be available for operations round-the-clock,” a Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) spokesperson said.

The third runway, christened 29/11, has CAT IIIB instrument landing system (ILS) on both Dwarka and Vasant Kunj sides which will allow aircraft to land even when the visibility is as low as 50 metres. The runway, built to Code F standards, can handle the wide bodied aircraft like Airbus A-380 and Antonov AN-225. DIAL, a joint venture consortium operating and developing the IGIA, had build Rs 1,000 crore the runway in a record time of 18 months -- six months ahead of schedule on February 2009. “This will enhance IGIA's capacity to handle more aircraft movements,” added the DIAL spokesperson.

The maintenance of the main runways (11-29 and 10-28) will be carried out on alternate days on the weekdays whereas secondary runway (09-27) maintenance will be carried out on Sundays between 1 pm to 4 pm.