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Guwahati | Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport | GAU

213K views 835 replies 60 participants last post by  sunny20rocky 
#1 ·
This thread shall be used for tracking various informations related to LGBI airport.
 
#332 ·
Imphal firm in aviation venture

Imphal, July 7: An Imphal-based private company has tied up with Surat-based Ventura Airconnect to introduce chartered cargo and passenger services in the Northeast from next month.

The booking for the cargo flight will begin on Monday and booking for passenger service will start July end.

The cargo service will initially connect only Imphal to Guwahati and Calcutta.

The Imphal company, Luwang Air Services and Cargo Pvt Ltd, has opened counters at all the destinations of its flight.

Announcing this to the media here today, the managing director of the new Imphal company, Maisnam Ratankumar, said initially the passenger flight service would connect Imphal with Silchar (Assam), Shillong (Meghalaya), Silchar with Agartala (Tripura) and Shillong with Silchar.

"As we gain more experience and depending upon the response we are planning to connect more places in the Northeast," Ratankumar said.

Explaining the reason for entering into the venture, Ratankumar said connectivity - both road and air - is very poor in the Northeast. "Our company would like to contribute whatever we can to improve connectivity."

In addition to this, businessmen and students, particularly those in Manipur, have been suffering because of poor road connectivity.

"Moreover, when there is in an indefinite blockade along the state's two national highways (Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Silchar), scarcity of essential commodities hit Manipur. So we hope to contribute something in this regard," Ratankumar said.

Stating that the existing flight operators could not connect the state capitals in the Northeast, he said his company hoped to fill the gap.

"The fare rate will be slightly higher than those of the flight services at present operating between the Northeast and other states. Ours is not a profit-driven venture. Even if we lose, we will try to continue as long as we can," he said. Ventura Airconnect was awarded the Gujarat government's contract to operate intra-state air service between non-connected airports in the state.

Ratankumar said initially seven-seater aircraft will be used for passenger service. If the demand increases, 20-seater aircraft will be introduced. The cargo is five-tonner. "Another objective of our service is to bring the people of the Northeast closer by connecting the capitals," he said.

The company's head office is in Imphal and it has opened an office in Guwahati. He said booking can be done online.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170708/jsp/northeast/story_160705.jsp
 
#333 ·
Scoot may soon be connecting Guwahati with Singapore

Focus on Tier-II towns, Scoot to fly to SE Asia


Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary Scoot says it is focusing on Tier-II cities such as Amritsar, Jaipur and Lucknow as it is unable to expand its operations and meet demand from large metros due to lack of slots.

With Indian carriers utilising just 20 per cent of the slots allocated to them to fly to Singapore, the chances of India and Singapore going for bilateral talks to expand capacity will remain a pipe dream. “Given the constraints, we are looking at expanding in Tier-II cities. Last year, we started operating from Amritsar and Jaipur, and about a year and a half ago we started at Lucknow. So, our focus will be in Tier-II cities and if the metro cities open up we will definitely come in,” said Bharath Mahadevan, country head for Scoot.

Scoot expects its operations in India to grow by just 5-7 per cent in the next few years, despite the domestic market for international travel to South East Asia and Australia expected to explode. To indirectly meet some of this demand, the company is looking at aggressively entering new cities such as Bhubaneswar and Guwahati, which fall under the government of India’s open skies policy. Mahadevan says Scoot will also look at cities such as Pune, Chandigarh and Madurai as and when they open up. With around 80 per cent of its capacity being utilised the year round, India is Scoot’s largest International market after China. Given the restrictions in place, the company will begin looking at alternative for growth, just as it did by aggressively entering Tier-II markets over the past one and a half year.


“We have our partner Vistara (a Singapore Airlines and Tata venture), which is operating in the Indian market. We are looking at synergies with Vistara, where it feeds us from the Tier-II cities into Bangalore or Chennai and we carry them (the passengers) to Singapore. But it (Vistara) has to expand its network first before that happens,” added Mahadevan.

Scoot on Tuesday announced its merger with Tigerair, another wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. The merger would give the company access to all the routes Tigerair operated in India, including Bengaluru from where it will operate a daily flight to Singapore.

http://www.business-standard.com/ar...s-scoot-to-fly-to-se-asia-117072900702_1.html
 
#334 ·
Expansion work of LGBI airport from Nov

Assam Tribune

GUWAHATI, Aug 29 - Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha today said that expansion work of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International airport (LGBI) with a project cost of Rs 1,142 crore will start in November.

The Union Minister also assured Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal that the Civil Aviation Ministry would take effective steps to boost regional connectivity.

Sinha had a meeting with Sonowal in his office today to discuss various issues relating to improvement of connectivity in the North East region. Sonowal said that the Centre should introduce flights from Guwahati to various countries of South East Asia. The Centre is also planning to construct a twin city and a new air port on the suburb of Guwahati and new task force would be constituted involving representatives and experts from both the Central and State Governments to study the viability to make the project a reality.

Pursuant to Chief Minister Sonowal’s request, the Union Minister assured to start helicopter services between Guwahati with other towns of Assam and North East. Sonowal also said that the State Government would construct heliports in smaller towns. The subsidised helicopter services will be made available under UDAN-II scheme.

Moreover, the Union Minister also assured to start daily flights between Guwahati and Dibrugarh and between Dibrugarh to Pasighat shortly. Regarding the alleged hike in air-fares in view of snapped rail link between Assam with other parts of the country, the Union Minister said that in view of chief minister’s concern over the issue, he took the matter with the appropriate authority and steps have been taken to rationalise the fare.
 
#337 ·
A new airport in Guwahati is atleast 25~30 years away. For the time being, I am just glad that they have finally given us a date for the expansion work of the current airport :nuts:

So from Nov 2017, take atleast another 3 years for the terminal (Phase 1) to get completed. Roughly by 2021 the terminal is expected and the next phase might take another decade or so... So, we can expect the terminal (to be build in 2 phases) to get completed somewhere around 2030~35 and might take another 10~15 years for it to get fully utilized and also for the need for another greenfield airport. So, i.e like not before 2050... :lol:

I am wondering why they are discussing greenfield airport in Guwahati when they are yet to start expansion (modernization) work of the current one. Either the journalist is a lame donkey or politicians have nothing else to do these days..
 
#336 ·
Sarbananda Sonowal discuss Guwahati airport and aero city plans with Jayant Sinha


GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union minister of state for civil aviation Jayant Sinha discuss building an aero city and constructing a new terminus and expanding the existing one at airport in Guwahati.
:cheers::cheers::banana::banana:

In a 30 minute meeting between Sonowal and Sinha modalities have been discussed in details and a decision was taken to build an aero city and constructing a new terminus and expanding the existing one at LGBI airport in Guwahati.:):)

According to state government, plans are also on the anvil to construct a twin city and a new airport on the suburb of Guwahati and new task force would be constituted involving representatives and experts from both the Central and State Governments to study the viability to make the project a reality.

Minister Jayant Sinha also informed that work for expansion of new terminus with a project cost of Rs. 1142 crore at Guwahati airport will start from November this year. The meeting also discussed the viability of setting an aero city and increased frequency of flights between Guwahati and other ASEAN countries to make Guwahati truly a gateway to South East Asian Countries.:cheers::cheers:

Union Minister assured to start helicopter services between Guwahati with other towns of Assam and North East. Sonowal also said that the State Government would construct heliports in smaller towns including all amenities where helicopter operations will be pressed into service for the convenience of the passengers. The subsidized helicopter services will be made available under UDAN-II scheme.

The union minister also assured to start daily flights between Guwahati and Dibrugarh and between Dibrugarh to Pasighat shortly.
Regarding the allegations of hike in air-fares in view of snapped rail link between Assam with other parts of the country, the Union Minister said that in view of chief minister’s concern over the issue, he took the matter with the appropriate authority and steps have been taken to rationalise the fare.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...ns-with-jayant-sinha/articleshow/60280282.cms
 
#338 ·
Guwahati don't need a new airport. It just needs a bigger terminal and a parallel runway to increase the current capacity by 4 to 5 times.

Current dilapidated terminal is 18,864 m2 and handles close to 3~4 million passengers annually. There is enough land banks in and around the airport. If Govt is really concerned, they should take up these lands for future phase now itself least land mafias and illegal Bangladeshis settle around it. Even now, there is enough land available (next to SOS children village) with AAI to construct a terminal 10 ~ 20 times bigger than the current one.

The chief minister should focus on metro, drainage system and water supply as priority and not new airport for the citizen.:bash:
 
#342 ·
^^
There is no space left for a green field airport in the entire Kamrup district. You start from Jhalukbari Signal and and drive atleast 25~30 km on all the 4 direction.... and you will not find any vacant landmass big enough to build an airport. Neither towards Bihata Chariali, nor towards Boko/Chaygaon, not even towards Khetri/Jagiroad....and no point checking towards the remaining direction which is towards Meghalaya. So, all this discussion of a green field airport in Guwahati is just on paper.

I just hope they take up work on the airport modernization at the earliest and do plan it out for the next 40-50 years. Current airport has enough scope for expansion provided they act with proper planning. That is all I meant.

Regarding our CM understanding our priorities.... only time will tell. But he needs to know one thing for sure... Congress got away with 50 years of callousness in Assam, BJP might get maximum of 5 years with similar attitude. He needs to act and act fast.
 
#343 ·
Dibrugarh to get direct flight from Guwahati

Avik Chakraborty

Brijendra Singh at Dibrugarh airport on Thursday. Picture by Avik Chakraborty
Dibrugarh, Aug. 31: Come October Dibrugarh will be connected to Guwahati through a new direct flight, bringing cheers to hundreds of air travellers.

There was no direct flight from Guwahati to Dibrugarh after Jet Airways discontinued operations on July 15.

Brijendra Singh, regional manager of SpiceJet, who arrived at Dibrugarh airport to ensure finalisation of the services in the Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Guwhati route today, said a SpiceJet flight will be fully operational from October 3.



N.K. Gupta, director of Dibrugarh airport, said Singh inspected the facilities at the airport.

"There was no direct flight from Guwahati to Dibrugarh since Jet Airways stopped operations. We are happy that Dibrugarh and Guwahati will be connected again with a direct flight,'' Gupta said.

The booking centre for the new flight will be established soon. "There was a demand for a direct flight in the Dibrugarh-Guwhati route. We hope this flight will cater to the passengers' needs,'' he said.

Altogether three flights - one Air India and two Indigo - operate from Mohanbari airport at present.

"It's a welcome development. We will, however, urge the SpiceJet Airlines to change the departure time of the flight from Dibrugarh so that the it lands in Guwahati before 9am. This will make the flight convenient for passengers travelling either way between Dibrugarh and Guwahati,'' said Nabajyoti Borkakoty, a social activist of Dibrugarh and a frequent flier.

He said Dibrugarh is an important place surrounded by many tea gardens and a direct flight from Guwahati will boost its communication with the industries in Upper Assam.

"We had to face a lot of problems after Jet Airways ended its services in July. I took up the matter with the director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) on behalf of the tea industries and the people of Dibrugarh and sent a letter, urging the authorities to provide a direct flight to connect Dibrugarh and Guwahati,'' Varma added. "Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and legislators and MPs of Dibrugarh had urged the Union civil aviation ministry to resume the services of a direct flight between Dibrugarh and Guwahati soon after Jet Airways stopped their services. Dibrugarh is an industrial hub of Upper Assam and therefore, a direct flight is a requisite in this route,'' he said.

"After Bogibeel bridge is opened, traffic of Dhemaji, Lakhimpur and Silapathar will be shifted to Dibrugarh since it has an airport. More flights will lead to better connectivity of the area with Guwahati,'' Varma added.
 
#344 ·
July stats :

International traffic has registered a growth of 200%(6564) MoM basis
and domestic traffic has grown moderately at 32% (386416) MoM basis.

with the upcoming festive season, traffic will grow at a higher pace and monthly traffic could hover anywhere between 4.5 lac to 5 lac by end of this financial year. This translates to annual passenger traffic volume of 5.5 to 6 million.

I expect the passenger traffic to grow moderately at 20-25% next financial year considering a large base. GAU could register passenger traffic of 7.5 to 8 million by FY2018-FY2019 if there is a substantial growth in economic and leisure activities and more flights on international routes are deployed.
 
#345 ·
Jet to commence Pune-Guwahati flight via kolkata

Jet introduces direct flights to three cities

Pune: Flyers to Coimbatore, Guwahati as well as Kolkata have a reason to rejoice with Jet Airways starting three direct flights between Pune and the three cities from September 2.

With this, the total flight movement from the Pune airport has gone up from 158 to 164. "We are expecting more airlines to start new flights soon. We cannot share details unless they confirm the flights," an airport official told TOI on Thursday.

On the Pune-Coimbaotre route, flight number 9W363 takes off from Pune at 23:55 hours and reaches Coimbatore at 01:45 hours (the following day). On its return leg, 9W364 leaves Coimbatore at 03:05 hours and reaches Pune at 4:55 hours. It then connects New Delhi, reaching the national capital at 7:40 hours.



The airlines started another direct flight from Pune to Kolkata on September 2. Flight 9W2486 leaves Pune at 3:55 hours (except Tuesday) and reaches Kolkata at 6:30 hours. On its return journey, flight number 9W 2474 takes off from Kolkata at 21:25 hours (except Tuesday) and reaches Pune at 00:05 hours (the following day).


"On Tuesdays, the flight will leave Pune at 02:55 hours and reach Kolkata at 05:30 hours, before taking off for its return journey at 21:55 hours," the official said.


On the Pune-Guwahati route, a Jet official said, flight 9W2486 leaves Pune at 3:55 hours (except Tuesday) and reaches the northeastern city at 8:20 hours. On Tuesdays, the flight will leave Pune at 02:55 hours and reach Guwahati at 07:20 hours. On its return leg, 9W2474 will leave Guwahati at 19:15 hours (except Tuesday) and reach Pune at 00:05 hours (the following day).


"The airlines should also start direct flights to Kolkata during the day hours too," said Ashutosh Roy, an IT professional.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ghts-to-three-cities/articleshow/60415343.cms
 
#346 ·
Jet enhances frequency on Guwahati-delhi route from twice daily to thrice daily

Enhanced Frequencies:

In order to meet the rising demand for connectivity from the emerging cities, Jet Airways plans to add additional frequencies to bolster connectivity on the existing routes.

For instance, Jet Airways will introduce second daily as well as third daily, non-stop frequencies between Pune – Kolkata and Delhi – Guwahati.
Flight 9W 2486 from Pune will depart at 0355 hours (except Tuesday) and arrive into Kolkata at 0630 hours. On its return journey, Jet Airways 9W 2474 will depart from Kolkata at 2125 hours (except Tuesday) and arrive into Pune at 0005 hours (next day).

On Tuesday, the flight will depart from Pune at 0255 hours and arrive into Kolkata at 0530 hours, before departing for its return journey at 2155 hours. 9W 7026 from Delhi will depart for Guwahati at 1140 hours. while 9W 7027 will depart for Delhi from Guwahati at 1330 hours daily.

Jet Airways also introduces a seventh frequency on the popular New Delhi – Chennai sector. 9W 829 will depart from Delhi at 2145 hours and arrive into Chennai at 0035 hours (next day). On its return leg, Jet Airways’ 9W 828 will depart from Chennai at 0210 hours and arrive into Delhi at 0455 hours.

Witnessing rising demand from leisure travelers, the airline has introduced an eighth frequency on the Jaipur – New Delhi sector. Jet Airways’ 9W 2169 departs from Delhi at 0130 hours and arrives into Jaipur at 0235 hours. Returning from Jaipur, 9W 2170 departs at 0345 hours and arrives into Delhi at 0450 hours.

http://www.zeebiz.com/companies/new...omestic-flights-ahead-of-festive-season-23850
 
#347 ·
SpiceJet flight to Guwahati from Oct




Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh, Sept. 8: Bookings have started for the direct SpiceJet flight from Guwahati to Silchar, slated to take off on October 3.

The direct Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Silchar flight will open direct linkages between the people of Barak with eastern Assam, which is largely dominated by tea gardens.

"We have opened our bookings for the SpiceJet flight from today. People from Dibrugarh have been demanding a daily flight from the town to Guwahati after Jet Airways discontinued its operation on July 15. Brijendra Singh, regional manager of SpiceJet, recently arrived at Mohanbari airport to inspect the facilities. He said the flight will start operations on October 3,'' Mughavi Zhimo, airport director of Dibrugarh, said. He said the direct flight will ease communication from Guwahati to Dibrugarh.


The tea industry and professionals from Dibrugarh welcomed the launch of the new flight and lauded chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal's efforts in this regard.

"For the first time a flight will connect Barak Valley with the Brahmaputra Valley which will help the tourism as well as tea sectors. People of both the areas will benefit from it,'' Suresh Varma, senior chartered accountant who is also a frequent flier and tea enthusiast from Dibrugarh, said. He said the direct flight will open business between Barak Valley and this part of the region.

At present, three flights operate from Dibrugarh airport.

"Besides having immense potential to usher in new avenues for trade and commerce, this SpiceJet flight will also provide a direct opportunity for the people of southern and eastern Assam in the Barak and Brahmaputra valleys respectively to come close to each other and create strong social bonds,'' Nabajyoti Borkakoty, a social activist from Dibrugarh, said.

Talking to The Telegraph today, Dibrugarh MLA Prashanta Phukan said it was very unfortunate when the Jet Airways flight was discontinued. "Recently, chief minister Sonowal went to Guwahati by the Kamrup Express from Tinsukia because there is no direct flight to Guwahati from Mohanbari airport. All sections of people have been facing immense problems to travel to Guwahati. We appealed to the director-general of civil aviation to start the flight from September 15 but they shifted it to October 3,'' Phukan said.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170909/jsp/northeast/story_171747.jsp
 
#350 ·
^^ Schedule -

SG3213 IXS0805 - 0850GAU0915 - 1020DIB DH4 D

SG3214 DIB1040 - 1205GAU1230 - 1310IXS DH4 D

This flight actually originates/terminates in Kolkata with the same flight number, however, Spicejet is not selling tickets on this route.
Is this the same aircraft that currently operates on Kolkata-Silchar-Guwahati-Silchar-Kolkata route and that has been extended to Kolkata-Silchar-Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Guwahati-Silchar-Kolkata route?

Air India is likely to operate many flights to and from Guwahati according to Air India chief later this year. Air India has plan to operate one flight on Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Pasighat route under UDAN schme .
 
#352 ·
Air traffic registered 40 pc rise last fiscal LGBI Airport

GUWAHATI, Sept 16 - The Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport here is running out of capacity as far as air traffic flow is concerned!Although equipped for handling an air traffic load of 1.5 million passengers annually, the Guwahati airport is bearing the load of nearly 3.5 million passengers per annum, a development attributed to the quantum jump in air passenger traffic, especially in the last fiscal that witnessed a nearly 40 per cent rise, the highest ever.
To live up to the challenge, the authorities have now increased additional security hold area by 250 square metres and requisitioned additional strength of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel.

Compared to the air traffic flow of 27.961 lakh passengers in 2015-16, the last fiscal year (2016-17) recorded a footfall of over 38.652 lakh passengers, registering an all-time high load increase of nearly 40 per cent.

Official sources informed that there are plans for massive overhaul and expansion of the Guwahati airport as it is attracting record air traffic flow, which is very encouraging from the region’s point of view.

The capacity is not gauged just by how many people you can physically fit in the building, but also by health and safety regulations, which is why it is of paramount importance to meet certain standards.

“While the increase in air passengers has been on the rise, most of them being domestic ones, the year 2016-17 surpassed all previous rates of increase in a fiscal,” sources told The Assam Tribune.

Further, the year 2014-15 had witnessed an air traffic passenger flow of 25.87 lakh, and the footfall in the subsequent year stood at 27.96 lakh.

With limited resources, the unprecedented increase in air traffic also means inconvenience to the passengers, who are now seen struggling to get the facilities they are entitled to.

The problem has been compounded with the additional load of Haj pilgrims every year.

This includes access to trolleys and washrooms (arrival), which according to frequent fliers, are very hard to avail as they are not sufficient in number.

When contacted, a senior official of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said that keeping in view the hardships faced by the passengers, the Guwahati airport authority has already written to its headquarters seeking procurement of additional luggage trolleys.

“I admit that some of the trolleys are in very bad shape. And after assessing the same, we have placed an order for 500 new trolleys which should arrive by the first part of October. At present, we have 300 trolleys, which obviously is not sufficient,” the official said.

“As far as the washroom is concerned, renovation work on one of the two washroom areas will soon be over and made available to passengers,” he assured.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=sep1717/at060
 
#353 ·
With limited and old infrastructure, GAU is handling around 4 lac passengers per month(as on july). It will be difficult to manage passenger traffic in the current building with the introduction of 5 -6 new pairs of flights( mostly 180 seaters and ATR on Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Pasighat), Increase in the frequency on certain routes coupled with the upcoming festive season.

AAI is constructing two new aerobridges as an interim measure to cope up with the unprecedented demand in air traffic, both these aerobridges are in advance stages of completion n are expected to be opened for public during the festive season.

The proposed new terminal will take at least 3-4 years to become operational if construction is started from January 2018 and this means GAU will have to continue its operations from the current terminal building till 2022. By that time, Passenger traffic will cross 10 million and only god knows how the current terminal building will handle so many passengers till 2022.

Govt. should construct the new terminal with approx 20 million capacity so that it does not have to incur additional costs in replanning, retendeting etc and avoid passenger inconvenience till 2030.
 
#354 ·
Assam deprived, Shillong airport to be the new hub of regional connectivity

https://www.time8.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/SA.jpg
Guwahati, September 14: At a time when Guwahati, the economic hub of North-East is on it’s mission towards smart city project implementation, selection of Meghalaya’s Shillong airport as the hub of regional connectivity scheme in the North East region irks the opposition party of Assam.

With only a few months away for the upcoming 2018 Meghalaya Assembly Elections, the State seems to have been suddenly getting immense attention from the BJP government at the Centre with numerous schemes and announcements.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Ripun Bora, President of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee(APCC), said that the recent decision of selecting Shillong airport against Guwahati airport as the hub of regional connectivity shows that the present government is fictious and plays with the emotions of the people to collect votes. “The present government does not know about governance and only works for the short term popularity. They have been playing with people’s emotions and are just vote banks.” said Bora.

It may be mentioned that the scheme will be connecting – Aizawl, Silchar, Dimapur and Imphal. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in which representatives from all NE states were present. This was informed by the NEC secretary, Ram Muivah

Muivah further reportedly informed that the Alliance Air, which was flying on viability gap funding provided by the NEC, will continue to fly till March 2019. He also said that once they get another aircraft, the Alliance Air will also will fly to Dibrugarh and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh and in the second phase, they have agreed to fly to Silchar, Imphal, Guwahati and Dimapur.

https://www.time8.in/assam-deprived-shillong-airport-to-be-the-new-hub-of-regional-connectivity/
 
#355 ·
Addressing the media on Thursday, Ripun Bora, President of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee(APCC), said that the recent decision of selecting Shillong airport against Guwahati airport as the hub of regional connectivity shows that the present government is fictious and plays with the emotions of the people to collect votes.
This statement is nothing but political agenda. GAU does not come under RCS, but Shillong does. :bash:

Shillong is among the few State Capitals whose airports are under-served. It was natural that a private operator bid for routes under RCS to connect SHL to neighbouring airports.

Unfortunate that the opportunist politicians spin the news out of context to suit their own agenda of feeding insecurities amongst their electorate. :eek:hno:
 
#357 ·
ROUTES: Indian airports set for $30bn upgrade programme

Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to invest around $30 billion over the next five years to further develop its airports.

Speaking to FlightGlobal during the World Routes forum in Barcelona, I.N Murthy, board member of operations at airports operator, says that the money will be used to further develop unserved airports, as well as to revamp air traffic control towers, runways and passenger terminals at various of its airports.

"For every rupee invested in aviation, it translates into six rupees in employment and another 13 times in related industries down the chain," says Murthy. "We are seeing an average annual growth rate of 75% in terms of passenger numbers."

The AAI currently operates 126 airports across India, as well as controls 450 airstrips in the subcontinent.

Of the $30 billion, Murthy says that Rs2.6 billion will be used to expand Chennai International airport.

This includes the expansion of both its domestic and international buildings that will result in an integrated terminal building with an annual passenger handling capacity of 50 million, double the figure at present.

The number of aircraft parking spaces will also be doubled to 80. AAI will also optimise Chennai's runway operations to up to 50 flights per hour, up from the current 36. Murthy explains that that will be done via the building of more taxiways, as well as reviewing the airport's runway operations.

Elsewhere, AAI believes that its Ahmedabad Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International and Guwahati airports can become hubs in the western and northeastern regions, respectively.

"There is so much potential in these areas for domestic and international travel, with Ahmedabad to Middle East and Europe, and Guwahati to Southeast Asia and China."

On the ongoing tenders for Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, Murthy says that AAI has received a total of 11 bids to operate the airports under a public-private partnership model. He also expects the selection to be made for the respective airports by end-October.

New Delhi has been attempting to privatise the two airports since 2013. In 2016, AAI and Changi Airports International held talks on operating the facilities, however, those broke down in June of that year.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/routes-indian-airports-set-for-30bn-upgrade-progr-441419/
 
#360 ·
CM calls on Civil Aviation Minister: Foundation stone for new terminal of Guwahati airport to be laid on February

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday called on Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju in New Delhi. The Chief Minister and the Civil Aviation Minister discussed the possibilities to boost air connectivity in Assam and other parts of North East.


The Chief Minister also invited the Civil Aviation Minister to lay the foundation stone for the new terminal of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati. The foundation stone will be laid during the Global Investors’ Summit, to be held on February, 2018.



Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi also discussed formulating a new aviation scheme for giving thrust to air connectivity with Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries making Guwahati as the hub.

http://www.pratidintime.com/details...ti-airport-to-be-laid-on-february/top-stories
 
#362 ·
Assam CM Seeks Direct Singapore-Guwahati Flight

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday urged Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to facilitate direct flight from Singapore to Guwahati to boost air connectivity and improve trade and commerce.

Pointing out that better air connectivity between Assam and Singapore would lead to higher tourist footfall in the state and the island nation, the Chief Minister stressed that the move would augur well for trade and commerce as well.

“Improved air connectivity with Singapore will provide greater scope to Assam in showcasing its potential among Southeast Asian countries. Assam is blessed with natural resources and fertile land. We have launched our tourism policy to offer many incentives to entrepreneurs,” Sonowal said.

The Chief Minister urged Singapore to be a partner state at the Global Investors Summit scheduled to be held here on February 3 and 4, 2018, and to send a business delegation for the same.

Balakrishnan said his visit had opened new opportunities for future cooperation between Assam and Singapore.
https://www.northeasttoday.in/assam-cm-seeks-direct-singapore-guwahati-flight/
 
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