Hyderabad Airport

Only 6 Indian Airports Equipped To Defuse Bombs!

There were concerns about the aviation security and passenger safety after an audit was conducted by a parliamentary agency. The audit found out that only six out of  59 airports that are guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are fully equipped to defuse and dispose of explosives.

According to the audit, the Bomb Detection and Disposable Squad(BDDS) is operational at airports in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Cochin. Chennai and Kolkata airports are taken care of by the Airport Authority of India, while in the remaining 4 cities the airports are run by private companies.

According to the rules of the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security(BCAS), for the BDDS to be operational, Airports require 28 pieces of equipment including explosive vapor detectors, bomb disposal suits, and remote-operated vehicles. The required equipment is available at only the six airports mentioned above. The CISF provides security cover to 59 airports out of 98 airports in  India that are operational.

According to the rules, even if one equipment is not available, the squad cannot be made functional. The CISF has written to the AAI, BCAS and civil aviation ministry, asking them to provide this crucial equipment as soon as possible.

The absence of a functional bomb disposal squad at the airport poses a potential risk to aviation security and passengers. The CISF has to take the help of a bomb disposal team from the nearest police station, in case there is a bomb scare or a threat. This causes a delay in the securities response to the bomb threat.

Kempagowda International Airport in Bengaluru, which is run under a private-public partnership, does not have a functional bomb detection and disposal squad. This is reported because the airport houses only 24 of the 28 equipment’s required.

According to the Bangalore International Airport Ltd(BIAL), the requirement of three of the four pieces of equipment is under deliberation with the Government. The fourth item has a long lead time and will be procured shortly.

Even the airports that operate under Airports Authority of India(AAI) lack some of the bomb diffusing equipment such as explosive vapor detectors and remote-operated vehicles. The AAI has procured 18-21 bomb detection and disposal squad equipment for 13 AAI airports, but they will be procuring the 2 pieces of equipment mentioned above and the squads will be operational by September this year at 18 AAI operated airports as part of the first phase. The remaining equipment for the airport will be purchased in phase 2.

CISF was created in 1969 and has been providing security to airports, government buildings, seaports and power plants amongst others. The Air Passenger Association Of India has been pushing the BCAS for a long time to give the CISF all the equipment required to protect and safeguard air passengers.

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Mumbai Airport To Remain Shut For 6 Hours On 9Th And 10Th Of April!

If your flights are scheduled to fly in and out of the Mumbai Airport on Monday and Tuesday, there is some news for you!

On April 9 and 10, flight operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai will be suspended, for six hours between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. This will surely cause air traffic congestion, which will lead to delays in flights on Tuesday.

As part of the pre-monsoon maintenance practice which happens every year,rubber deposits will be removed from the runway. The maintenance work will be done at the intersection of the main and secondary runway. Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) have already informed all airlines about the planned shutdown well in advance.

Air India will be cancelling 34 of its flights and diverting 4 of its flights mentioned below –

  • AI 611 and 612 (Mumbai- Jaipur) and vice versa,
  • AI 680 (Mumbai- Mangalore)
  • AI 696 (Varanasi- Mumbai)

In case you want to find out whether your Air India Flight has been cancelled or rescheduled click on the link below –

Air India Flight Schedules- https://book.airindia.in/itd/itd/lang/en/travel/schedules

Jet Airways will reschedule 17 international and 53 domestic flights and cancel six international and 64 domestic flights. Below are the links to know which flights have been cancelled and rescheduled of Jet Airways –

Cancelled Flights – https://www.jetairways.com/documents/flight-cancellations-1.pdf

Rescheduled Flights – https://www.jetairways.com/documents/revised-schedules-april18.pdf

Besides the Mumbai Airport, other airports have been scheduled to be closed for pre-monsoon maintenance. Here is a detailed list of the airports –

  • Chandigarh International Airport runway will be closed from May 12 to May 31.
  • Calicut International Airport runway will remain closed till June 15, 2018, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • The Jaipur International Airport runway will remain closed till May 31 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
  • The Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow will be closed till June 30 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Still confused? Simply download the AirWhizz app and add your flight to get all the information about your flight along with real-time flight updates and schedules on your phone.

So go ahead, plan your schedule accordingly and Fly Stress-Free!

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Flying To Dubai Will Get More Expensive in 2019!

If you are planning to fly to Dubai next summer, be prepared to pay more for your flight tickets. Authorities at various Dubai airports have asked Indian carriers to reduce their capacities by half. This is being done because of the runway closure for 45-days from April 16, 2019. As a result, the airfare to Dubai will go up next summer.

Indian carriers flying to Dubai account for about 65,000 seats a week. The CEO of Dubai Airport, Mr. Paul Griffiths has asked the Indian authorities to reduce this number to half in a letter written by him in February. Dubai airlines, Emirates and  Fly Dubai have also been asked to make reductions in their flights flying from India.

According to the letter, The Dubai airport authorities have asked Emirates and Fly Dubai to reduce their total operations by 33 percent and airlines flying to the airport on a regular basis to reduce their capacities by 50 percent. The letter, however, said that the 33% reduction by the Dubai based airlines will contribute to 55% of the airport’s total cuts.

This decision by the Dubai airport has been met with much criticism as Indian carriers feel that reductions in the number of seats is not equal and discriminatory. India has been generous to Dubai when it comes to bilateral traffic rights. According to officials working with Indian carriers, this situation is not new and airlines in India have faced this kind of treatment when they got the least desired slots during slot allocation in 2016.

Dubai airport officials, in March, had announced that the closure will happen from April 16th-May 30th next year because of maintenance work and installation of upgrades. Flights will be diverted to Al Maktoum International airport during this period. These upgrades are being done to increase the safety and capacity of the runway.

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‘Green’ Buses Will Soon Ferry Passengers To The Hyderabad Airport!

A few months back, The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) had operated a battery-enabled electric bus on the Hyderabad Airport stretch on an experimental basis for a period of one month. The officials operated the bus from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to (RGIA) in Shamshabad to Secunderabad for few weeks to check the efficiency.

They found that the experience was encouraging!

To build on that positive experience, TSRTC announced on Saturday that they will be introducing 40 electric buses to ferry passenger to RGAI in Hyderabad. The electric buses will be introduced in the next 4 months as part of phase 1.

According to the officials at TSRTC, these “Green’ buses will be powered by battery operated electric motors and will not cause pollution, unlike other regular vehicles. Officials have also said that these buses will be cheap so that it is easier for the common passenger to commute to the airport. The fare for these electric buses will be the same as those for public AC buses. Nobody will be charged an additional fare. This new fleet of buses will replace the current buses operating on the airport route. The project work on this project has already started and has been given to a private agency.

Below are a few pointers about the specifications of the bus and its operation –

  • Each bus will be 12-Meter-long low floor AC ‘Green’ bus.
  • It is being manufactured by a Chinese company – BYD
  • Each bus will cost Rs 2.4 crore, with a seating capacity of 40 passengers
  • The bus will be operated by the private agency for 12 years and the TSRTC will pay the agency
  • Maintenance, appointment of driver and fuel will the responsibility of the agency, but the conductor will be a TSRTC employee

This initiative is being implemented in phases with the phase 1, of introducing 40 green buses, to be completed within 4 months. The phase 2 of this project will see 60 more electric buses being introduced depending on the response and experience of the passengers.

There is a need for such initiatives in the country since India is the world’s 5th largest auto market. Shifting to electric vehicles will reduce harmful vehicle emissions by 37%. This project will also help the governments aim to make India shift completely to electric vehicles by 2030 and make the country emission-free by 2040.

The Green buses will be introduced in a few months but before that, if you are looking to travel to the Hyderabad Airport, look no further!

Download the AirWhizz App to get notifications on when to leave based on real-time traffic updates and book your Ola/Uber ride to the airport from the app itself. Fly Stress-Free!

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Biometric Boarding Process Soon To Be Introduced At Indian Airports!

The Airports Authority of India(AAI) will soon be introducing Biometric Access System to make the Boarding process for passengers more convenient.

This System will be introduced as a Pilot project at 3 Indian Airports such as Varanasi and Vijayawada. It is believed that AAI has chosen Kolkata as the third airport for the pilot project.

The AAI will soon be inviting bids from the interested parties for this system according to its Chairman, Mr Guruprasad Mohapatra. He Has also said that they will soon be issuing tenders and the project should start in the next 6 to 7 months.

This initiative is being taken due to the changing profile of air passengers in the country and the safety challenges that come along with it. This technology will play a huge part in taking on such challenges.

The 3 Airports mentioned above have been chosen as an initiative for the Digi Yatra wherein the Aadhar details of the passenger will be used for biometric-enabled boarding process. Under this initiative, the civil aviation ministry will make boarding pass and security check-in digital. The idea is to safely identify travellers through Aadhaar number, passport or other documents.

The Biometric boarding system has had a positive effect on an airport’s security system all around the world. The introduction of such a technology in India will streamline the security process at airports by making it easier on the airport authorities to keep a track of security and making passengers feel safer when they get on a flight.

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The Immigration Process At Delhi Airport Is Set To Get A Lot Smoother!

Delhi airport became the 7th busiest airport last year after it handled more than 63.5 million passengers. Standing in the immigration queue at such busy airport can often get under your skin. All that is about to change!

Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi will be introducing E-Immigration gates to reduce the time taken to board the flight.

Here are all the details about the New E-Immigration gates at IGI, New Delhi-

  • The Technology will be introduced on a trial basis for 2 months at the arrivals section
  • The E-Immigration gates will scan and read your passport information
  • They will have a face recognition technology where your face will be captured using a High Accuracy Camera
  • The gates will automatically swing open after scanning details
  • Initially, 2 such gates will be installed
  • As many as 40 gates could be eventually installed this year

According to officials “travellers who are considered as low-risk will be approved and verified by agencies and can go through by the machine. A database of passengers who travel abroad on a regular basis will be made.

Under the current process, with manual stamping and checking of passports, the passenger clears his immigration process in about 10 minutes.With the New E-Immigration Gates, a passenger will take only 15 seconds to clear immigration.

The installation of E- immigration gates is a great initiative by the airport. It will reduce the waiting time for passengers and will have a positive impact on the airport staff as well as the passengers.

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SpiceJet And IndiGo To Partially Shift Its Operation To Terminal 2 At The Delhi Airport from March 25.

Delhi International Airport Ltd.’s (DIAL) announced today that IndiGo and SpiceJet will partially shift their operations from Terminal 1 (T1), to Terminal 2 (T2) of IGI Airport from March 25.

This is being done to support the ongoing expansion work happening at Terminal 1 of the Indra Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi.

Worried which Terminal your flight will depart from? Read on!

SpiceJet has announced that they will be shifting the operations of 22 of its flights operating to seven sectors to Terminal 2 at the Delhi Airport. All flights departing from Terminal 2 will also have a prefix of “8” in the flight number.

Indigo too will be shifting 94 flights to Terminal 2 and have prefixed the number “2”  in their flight numbers.

Below the list of all the flights of Spicejet and Indigo which will now operate from Terminal 2, IGI Airport, Delhi.

Still confused? Simply download the AirWhizz app and add your flight to get the right terminal for your flight along with flight alerts and offers for your trip.

Spicejet Airlines:

Old Flight No. New Flight No From To Dep
SG 194 SG 8194 Ahmedabad Delhi 6:05 AM
SG 912 SG 8912 Ahmedabad Delhi 7:40 PM
SG 912 SG 8912 Ahmedabad Delhi 7:40 PM
SG 912 SG 8912 Ahmedabad Delhi 6:10 PM
SG 913 SG 8913 Delhi Ahmedabad 6:20 AM
SG 193 SG 8193 Delhi Ahmedabad 6:50 PM
SG 211 SG 8211 Delhi Goa 8:20 AM
SG 171 SG 8171 Delhi Goa 11:30 AM
SG 144 SG 8144 Delhi Goa 5:55 PM
SG 561 SG 8561 Delhi Kochi 6:30 AM
SG 561 SG 8561 Delhi Kochi 7:20 AM
SG 40 SG 8480 Delhi Patna 7:10 PM
SG 15 SG 8185 Delhi Pune 8:45 AM
SG 93 SG 8938 Delhi Pune 4:55 PM
SG 473 SG 8473 Delhi Surat 5:45 AM
SG 47 SG 8478 Delhi Surat 2:40 PM
SG 212 SG 8212 Goa Delhi 11:30 AM
SG 172 SG 8172 Goa Delhi 2:35 PM
SG 145 SG 8145 Goa Delhi 9:05 PM
SG 562 SG 8562 Kochi Delhi 11:05 AM
SG 41 SG 8481 Patna Delhi 9:35 PM
SG 937 SG 8937 Pune Delhi 7:20 AM
SG 14 SG 8184 Pune Delhi 4:05 PM
SG 474 SG 8474 Surat Delhi 8:15 AM
SG 479 SG 8479 Surat Delhi 4:55 PM

Indigo Airlines:

Old Flight No. New Flight No From To Dep
6E 108 6E 2108 Bengaluru Delhi 10:30
6E 123 6E 2123 Delhi Bengaluru 15:50
6E 126 6E 2126 Delhi Bengaluru 16:00
6E 131 6E 2131 Delhi Bengaluru 21:00
6E 131 6E 2131 Delhi Bengaluru 20:45
6E 132 6E 2132 Bengaluru Delhi 6:05
6E 132 6E 2132 Delhi Srinagar 10:10
6E 132 6E 2132 Bengaluru Delhi 5:30
6E 133 6E 2133 Delhi Bengaluru 5:10
6E 148 6E 2148 Delhi Srinagar 15:05
6E 197 6E 2197 Srinagar Delhi 17:05
6E 197 6E 2197 Delhi Visakhapatnam 19:25
6E 201 6E 2201 Delhi Raipur 12:30
6E 203 6E 2203 Delhi Srinagar 12:45
6E 204 6E 2204 Raipur Delhi 14:50
6E 211 6E 2211 Delhi Bhubaneswar 15:35
6E 246 6E 2246 Bengaluru Delhi 13:00
6E 256 6E 2256 Bhubaneswar Delhi 9:35
6E 273 6E 2273 Delhi Bengaluru 22:10
6E 273 6E 2273 Delhi Bengaluru 22:00
6E 289 6E 2289 Bengaluru Delhi 22:10
6E 297 6E 2297 Delhi Bengaluru 9:35
6E 297 6E 2297 Delhi Bengaluru 9:00
6E 305 6E 2305 Bengaluru Delhi 21:15
6E 306 6E 2306 Delhi Bengaluru 17:05
6E 314 6E 2314 Bhubaneswar Delhi 18:25
6E 3591 6E 2591 Vadodara Delhi 7:10
6E 3646 6E 2646 Bagdogra Delhi 12:25
6E 367 6E 2367 Bengaluru Delhi 8:30
6E 3752 6E 2752 Chennai Delhi 18:45
6E 393 6E 2393 Delhi Raipur 8:30
6E 398 6E 2398 Delhi Bagdogra 12:25
6E 3988 6E 2988 Bengaluru Delhi 16:55
6E 423 6E 2423 Delhi Bengaluru 13:00
6E 443 6E 2443 Delhi Chennai 9:55
6E 454 6E 2454 Raipur Delhi 19:40
6E 454 6E 2454 Raipur Delhi 19:10
6E 458 6E 2458 Delhi Bengaluru 6:25
6E 475 6E 2475 Bengaluru Delhi 4:00
6E 484 6E 2484 Bengaluru Delhi 23:30
6E 486 6E 2486 Raipur Delhi 9:40
6E 487 6E 2487 Chennai Delhi 10:50
6E 488 6E 2488 Vadodara Delhi 21:15
6E 489 6E 2489 Bhubaneswar Delhi 5:15
6E 5013 6E 2013 Delhi Bhubaneswar 9:00
6E 519 6E 2519 Delhi Chennai 21:45
6E 524 6E 2524 Delhi Amritsar 5:15
6E 525 6E 2525 Amritsar Delhi 6:55
6E 5263 6E 2263 Delhi Bagdogra 14:00
6E 5405 6E 2405 Bhubaneswar Delhi 21:50
6E 554 6E 2554 Srinagar Delhi 10:55
6E 606 6E 2606 Delhi Chennai 7:15
6E 6064 6E 2064 Delhi Vadodara 14:10
6E 6065 6E 2065 Bengaluru Delhi 12:30
6E 6162 6E 2162 Delhi Chennai 20:35
6E 6228 6E 2228 Bengaluru Delhi 7:10
6E 6299 6E 2299 Udaipur Delhi 21:00
6E 6299 6E 2299 Udaipur Delhi 19:15
6E 637 6E 2637 Delhi Bengaluru 18:50
6E 6376 6E 2376 Delhi Bengaluru 0:05
6E 6409 6E 2409 Raipur Delhi 11:10
6E 646 6E 2616 Bhubaneswar Delhi 16:20
6E 6512 6E 2512 Vadodara Delhi 16:15
6E 6512 6E 2512 Delhi Bhubaneswar 18:25
6E 652 6E 2652 Chennai Delhi 5:00
6E 6667 6E 2667 Delhi Chennai 16:20
6E 6695 6E 2615 Delhi Bengaluru 11:00
6E 6726 6E 2726 Visakhapatnam Delhi 8:55
6E 6726 6E 2716 Bengaluru Delhi 20:00
6E 6929 6E 2929 Delhi Bengaluru 7:55
6E 694 6E 2694 Srinagar Delhi 15:05
6E 694 6E 2694 Delhi Chennai 18:05
6E 695 6E 2695 Chennai Delhi 8:30
6E 698 6E 2698 Chennai Delhi 15:15
6E 698 6E 2698 Delhi Vadodara 19:10
6E 698 6E 2698 Chennai Delhi 15:35
6E 6999 6E 2912 Delhi Raipur 17:30
6E 701 6E 2701 Delhi Bhubaneswar 6:45
6E 702 6E 2702 Delhi Vadodara 5:10
6E 704 6E 2704 Chennai Delhi 22:50
6E 719 6E 2719 Delhi Visakhapatnam 5:20
6E 746 6E 2746 Delhi Udaipur 7:55
6E 746 6E 2746 Delhi Udaipur 7:50
6E 747 6E 2747 Udaipur Delhi 14:10
6E 751 6E 2751 Delhi Udaipur 13:25
6E 757 6E 2757 Delhi Raipur 6:50
6E 772 6E 2772 Visakhapatnam Delhi 18:30
6E 783 6E 2783 Bengaluru Delhi 18:25
6E 808 6E 2808 Bengaluru Delhi 18:55
6E 839 6E 2839 Delhi Bengaluru 15:15
6E 841 6E 2841 Delhi Bhubaneswar 22:50
6E 859 6E 2859 Delhi Chennai 8:25
6E 894 6E 2894 Bagdogra Delhi 18:25
6E 894 6E 2894 Delhi Amritsar 21:30
6E 895 6E 2895 Amritsar Delhi 23:15
6E 907 6E 2907 Chennai Delhi 17:15
6E 943 6E 2943 Bengaluru Delhi 10:10
6E 963 6E 2963 Delhi Bengaluru 19:40
6E 976 6E 2976 Chennai Delhi 6:30
6E 977 6E 2977 Delhi Bengaluru 22:40
6E 978 6E 2978 Bengaluru Delhi 14:30
6E 985 6E 2985 Delhi Chennai 6:20
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Republic Day Flight Cancellations Causing Confusion? Let Us Help!

Flying during the Republic day weekend? In case you haven’t heard, more than 700 flights all through Delhi are being cancelled between the 18th and 26th of January. This is because the Indian Air Force assumes control over the airspace to get ready for the Republic Day Celebrations. These cancellations will also affect domestic flights operating from other airports besides Delhi.

Airspace closure’s following Republic Day celebrations are not new. In any case, up until this point, carriers were just requested to reschedule flights. This is the first occasion when they will be cancelling flights. This implies, more than 100 flights all through Delhi will be cancelled every day. That could mean cancellation of more than 700 flights over the seven days of closure, influencing more than 10,000 travellers every day.

To help affected and confused passengers we at AirWhizz bring you all the facts and figures that you need to know to replan your flight schedule following the “Republic Day” week.

Day’s and Timing of Flight Cancellations

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has issued an advisory that no departures or arrivals would be permitted to or from Delhi airport between 10.30 am and 12.15 pm for 7 days between January 18-26 (except 19 and 25), as per air terminal sources.

International Flights Not Affected

The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which operates IGI Airport, says no global flights will be crossed out. Only domestic flights are being cancelled—international flights in and out of Delhi are being rescheduled.

How Airline’s Are Helping Passengers

Domestic Airlines have released detailed information for the flights that are going to be cancelled.  IndiGo’s travel advisory also confirms the cancellations and allows passengers to select alternative flights at no extra cost.

You can check the details of flights cancelled by clicking on the links below:

Vistara’s Cancelled flight details –  Click to get Details

GoAir’s Cancelled flight details –  Click to get Details

IndiGo’s Cancelled flight details – Click to get Details

JetAirways cancelled Flight details – Click to get details

Others are yet to announce what flights have been influenced and what options they are putting forth for the travellers. Airlines are sending sms and email to their passengers regarding flight cancellations, therefore, you should check your phone from time to time.

Know Your Rights

According to rules, if your flight is cancelled under 2 weeks and up to a day prior to movement, the airline is required to put you on another flight within 2 hours of the planned take-off. In any case, that may not hold as these conditions are outside their ability to control.

Issues You May Face as a Passenger

  1. If your flight is planned around these timings, it is very likely that your flight will be cancelled or re-directed to another airport.
  2. When airlines affirm these cancellations, the selected flights on the course will see a rise in demand thus driving ticket costs higher.
  3. As entries and flights get grouped, it could mean longer lines at security and at the gates.
  4. An added disadvantage will be the intensity of fog that befalls Delhi during those days.

This news will definitely cause you to rethink your travel plans but we hope that this article will help you plan your travel better for this week.

You can also simply add your flight to the AirWhizz app and check the status of your flight which are operating. The cancelled flights information can be obtained from the airlines.

As an added advantage to you, we at AirWhizz will get you real-time flight updates, airport and airline travel information and details of cancelled flights to your mobile phone so that you can save time on planning your trip. Download the AirWhizz app and Fly Stress-free!

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