Surat Airport

Surat Airport Gets Permission To Operate 24/7!

AirWhizzJul 23, 2018 No Comments

Surat Airport Gets Permission To Operate 24/7!

Aviation Insider

Surat Airport, which has recently been given an international status, is all set to operate 24/7.

Airports Authority Of India(AAI) has given the airport permission to operate round the clock. Airport operators have already started the process to recruit staff and set up immigration & customs counters at the terminal.

Last month, as per the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs notification, Surat Airport was given the status of a ‘Customs Airport’, making it eligible to operate international flights.

Confirming this news, Mr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman of AAI  said that despite knowing the fact that Surat Airport is making losses, AAI has decided to make it operational for 24 hours a day. This is because they see a huge potential to expand air connectivity to South East Asia through Surat.

From October 1st, 2018, the airport will be operational 24/7 and will commence its first international flight. At present, the airport operates in 2 shifts between 6.00 a.m & 11.00 p.m. It remains shut for nearly eight hours every day.

Air India Express has shown interest in starting flights from Surat to Dubai. In fact, Mr. K Shyam Sundar, CEO of Air India Express, had visited the airport last year to inspect the terminal building, runway and other facilities available at the airport.

Recently, the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujrat, Mr. Nitin Patel, in his budget speech said that he has set aside Rs 1 Crore for setting up immigration facilities at the airport. The home department of the Gujrat Government has already asked the Director General of Police(DGP) to allot 68 immigration staff members at the airport for the financial year 2018-19.

Air passenger traffic at the airport has been on the rise and is continuously increasing by 20-25 percent every year. With Surat airport getting the nod to operate round the clock, International airlines can look at this city as an opportunity to boost their operations in India.

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Surat Airport Puts In Request To Operate Round-The-Clock!

AirWhizzJul 12, 2018 No Comments

Surat Airport Puts In Request To Operate Round-The-Clock!

Aviation Insider

Authorities at the Surat Airport have put in a request with the Airports Authority Of India(AAI) to make the airport operational for 24 hours a day.

At present, flights operate in 2 separate shifts which fall between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Surat Airport was recently declared customs notified by the central government and has been authorised to install immigration check posts. This makes the airport eligible to operate international flights. This is why authorities want AAI to let Surat Airport to be functional for the whole day.

Surat Airport’s Director, Mr. Sanjay Kumar Panigrahi has said that they have made this request to accommodate international flights at night. He expects AAI to approve this request in the next two months.

He also said that this decision will help Surat airport smoothen out domestic flight operations during daytime.

Authorities want Surat Airport to be operational for 24 hours for one more reason. Air India Express had submitted an ‘Expression Of Interest’ to operate direct flights from Surat to Sharjah. Once, AAI approves this request, Air India Express will launch the Sharjah-Surat flight service between 12.30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

5 Airports in India, including Vadodara Airport, had previously handed in a similar request to AAI. Surat Airport has become the 6th airport to do so.

According to a study conducted by Surat Travel & Tourism Association, air passenger traffic at the airport has been continuously increasing by 20-25 percent for the past few years. In fact, more than 5 lakh people travelled from Surat and south Gujrat to international destinations in 2017-2018.

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Authorities To Speed Up Development Of Navi Mumbai International Airport!

AirWhizzJun 21, 2018 No Comments

Authorities To Speed Up Development Of Navi Mumbai International Airport!

Aviation Insider

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) may become operational sooner than expected.

City and Industrial Development Corporation(CIDCO) has said that the development of the runway and the construction of the terminal building at Ulwe Hills will go hand in hand to speed things up.

Here are the details of the ongoing project –

  • The main runway will be made on the south side of the NMIA. It will cover around 260 hectares of land and the area has been levelled by 5.5 meters.
  • The next 2.5 meters of levelling will be done to construct the other runways, taxiways and the ‘H’ shaped terminal building for the airport complex.
  • Most of the villages around the airport have already been vacated for construction.

The airport project has been sanctioned Rs 16000 crores out of which Rs 5514 crores will be used to develop the 3.4 Km south runway and the terminal building. The north runway will be developed later as per air traffic growth and requirement.

A concession agreement has been signed between CIDCO, the nodal airport development authority and Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) which states that a total of 1600 hectares of land will be dedicated for the development of the airport.

There are some issues with the villagers in Ulwe Village and 3 other villages where CIDCO expects to build the north runway and the terminal building. They are reluctant to vacate the land, however, CIDCO has assured that they will solve this problem soon. Their main priority right now is to start the development work of the runway on the south side.

With development work of the runway and terminal building happening simultaneously, it is expected that the new airport will be operational by 2020. This project will lower the pressure of the Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport.

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Airports May Soon Stop Stamping Of Boarding Pass For Domestic Passengers!

AirWhizzJun 15, 2018 No Comments

Airports May Soon Stop Stamping Of Boarding Pass For Domestic Passengers!

Aviation Insider

Passengers flying on domestic routes from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore Airport may not have to get their boarding pass stamped with “Security Checked” in the near future.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has approached Delhi and Bangalore Airport to carry out this pilot project. Mumbai Airport will also start this practice within the next 3 months.

CISF and airport authorities have already stopped stamping hand baggage tags at several airports in the past one year.

Hyderabad Airport was one of the first major airports to carry out this pilot project and now have an E-Boarding gate. Airports Authority of India(AAI) plans to start the e-boarding system at 3 airports by the end of 2018.

Mumbai Airport is replacing its old cameras with ‘High Definition’ ones as a part of this project. They are replacing their CCTV cameras at the domestic departure terminal. Authorities will be able to get ‘crystal clear’ pictures of passengers right from the time they enter the terminal to when they board an airplane.

Stamping of the boarding pass is done to find out who frisked the passengers and also to ensure that everyone is frisked before being allowed to board the aircraft. This information is used if an incident occurs on a flight due to a security-lapse. These HD cameras will allow authorities to do the same without ever needing to stamp a boarding pass.

CISF’s new Director General, Mr. Rajesh Ranjan, had recently said that he wanted to enhance an air passengers experience by taking steps such as putting a stop to boarding pass stamping.

He said that there have been instances where a security personnel has forgotten to stamp a boarding card and then the passenger has had to return from the boarding gate, which often led to them getting frisked again. If stamping is done away with, passengers will be able to have a seamless travel experience at airports.

Delhi and Bangalore Airport authorities have agreed to this request made by CISF. Bangalore Airport’s spokesperson, Archana Muthappa, has said that they will work closely with regulatory authorities to ensure that the airport uses the most current, cutting-edge technologies in security checks.

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Regulatory Body Proposes 74% Cut In UDF At Bangalore Airport!

AirWhizzJun 14, 2018 No Comments

Regulatory Body Proposes 74% Cut In UDF At Bangalore Airport!

Aviation Insider

Passengers flying from the Bangalore Airport may soon have to pay less for their flight ticket.

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has proposed a 74% cut in the User Development Fee (UDF) on both domestic and international flights.

User Development Fee is the tax that is levied on the passenger by the airport operator, to receive a fair share of return on the investment done for development of the airport.

Passengers currently pay a UDF of Rs 1226 for international flights and Rs 306 for domestic flights. AERA has proposed, that this fee should be reduced to Rs 316.8 and Rs 79.2 for international and domestic flights respectively.

AERA will conduct a stakeholder’s consultation meeting with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), various airlines and government officials on 18th June 2018.

The meeting will be held to discuss about reducing the UDF for passengers, as well as reducing the landing, parking and housing charges imposed on airlines by 90%.

Reduction of landing and parking charges will result in lower costs for airlines, a benefit they may pass on to the passengers by reducing the airfare. However, aviation experts say that this may not happen immediately due to rising oil prices.

UDF is revised every 5 years by the AERA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The fee was last revised at the Bangalore Airport in 2015 and this is the first time that the UDF is being reduced. Currently, Bangalore Airport charges the highest UDF in India.

If all the stakeholders agree to the terms proposed by AERA, the new rates will be applicable up to 31st March 2020. However, from April 2020 the UDF may increase to Rs 416.22 and Rs 104 for international and domestic flights respectively.

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Varanasi Airport To Get Facial Recognition Security System!

AirWhizzJun 12, 2018 No Comments

Varanasi Airport To Get Facial Recognition Security System!

Aviation Insider

Passengers flying from Varanasi Airport will soon experience a hassle-free journey from the airport’s entry to the boarding gate.

The Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi is all set to become the first Indian airport to install an automated Facial Recognition Security System.

Here are the details of the new system being implemented –

  • Installation of the automated security system has already started at the airport.
  • The walkthrough security scanners will be equipped with facial recognition technology.
  • They will be installed at the entrance, security checkpoint and the boarding area inside the airport.
  • The system will be put into service over the next four months.
  • This system is being implemented, thanks to the ‘DigiYatra’ initiative started by the government.
  • This system will soon be implemented at airports in Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata.

These walkthrough security scanners will make entry for passengers into the Varanasi Airport faster. It will enable them to automatically check-in and travel paperless.

Once the system is in place, security checks will be done through facial recognition as soon as travellers walk through the scanner. Passenger details will be examined digitally by comparing their Aadhar information with the information given by them while booking the flight.

However, there will be no change in the way luggage is being checked.

DigiYatra is a great initiative by the government. It aims at developing a digital ecosystem to provide a smooth paperless travel experience to air passengers at every stage of their journey.

In addition to automated security system, the scheme also aims at providing real-time notifications on air traffic congestion, price trends and calculating future airfares in the coming few months.

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Surat Airport All Set To Get International Status!

AirWhizzJun 11, 2018 No Comments

Surat Airport All Set To Get International Status!

Aviation Insider

People in Surat will be able to fly directly to international destinations in the coming few months.

Surat Airport is all set to become an international airport thanks to the central government giving the airport a customs notified status.

On 8th June 2018, The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs gave Surat Airport the status of a customs airport, which allows an airport to operate international flights, under the Customs Act 1962.

Back in 2016, the Airports Authority of India(AAI) had asked the central government to give Surat Airport a customs notified status and finally after 18 months they have gone ahead and agreed upon it.

Recently the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujrat, Mr. Nitin Patel, in his budget speech said that he has set aside Rs 1 Crore for setting up immigration facilities at the airport. The home department of the Gujrat Government has already asked the Director General of Police(DGP) to allot 68 immigration staff members at the airport for the financial year 2018-19.

Air India Express has shown interest in starting flights from Surat to Dubai. In fact, Mr. K Shyam Sundar, CEO of Air India Express, had visited the airport last year to inspect the terminal building, runway and other facilities available at the airport.

He said that the airline is keen to launch its flights to Dubai, provided they extend their runway to 2905 meters and get a customs notified status from the government.

Mr Sundar and his team also met members of the social group(working towards increasing connectivity at the airport) and tours & travel association to discuss about the potential of international flight services from Surat.

According to the association, almost 5 lakh people have travelled from Surat and south Gujrat to international destinations in 2017-2018.They also said that the air passenger traffic at the airport has been on the rise and is continuously increasing by 20-25 percent every year.

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