Latest news with #UdeDeshkaAamNaagrik
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Indian airports lack advanced CAT III landing system
BENGALURU: While global aviation standards have progressed by leaps and bounds, those in India still lag, reflected by its lack of a Category III Instrument Landing System (ILS) ecosystem. In the absence of this global standard that assists one of the most critical phases of flying (landing), Indian aviation remains open to inquiry. ILS is a mechanism that can land aircraft safely with the help of guiding systems that add another layer of safety and precision over visual approach. It is divided into three categories, and each category is further divided into three sub-categories (A, B, C). Each level-up allows a flight crew to land safely in worse visibility, with Category III allowing safe landing with up to zero visibility. Many Indian pilots are not trained for Category III approaches, not only because of a lack of push from carriers, but also due to acute lack of Category III ILS on ground. As per a report published by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on February 8, 2024, 'There are total six airports in India where Runway is certified for CAT III (Low visibility) operations at Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Kolkata (sic).' The country has 487 operational airports in all. A spokesperson from the KIA, requesting anonymity, said, 'The airports usually do not maintain data about reasons for delay. It only says bad weather, and gives no details about the flight or the pilot.' Capt Anil Rao, General Secretary, Airlines Pilots Association of India, stressed, 'Many airports (like Pune and Bagdogra) are actually military airfields, where civil operations are performed under restrictions. Most of these airfields operate under visual flying conditions. The Airports Authority of India should intervene (to implement Category II-III ILS for low-visibility operations).'Capt CS Randhawa, president, Federation of Indian Pilots, said, 'In India, most airports are Category I. The ground equipment is not compliant in many cases.' He said, 'First, the Airports Authority of India and private players like Adani need to ensure that the basic on-ground equipment is present at airports. Under the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, there are a lot of airfields without ILS at all. Most have only Visual Flight Rules (VFR) with no ground aids. You need 5 km of visibility to land.'
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bihar set to get 6 functional airports in three years: Chief secy, ETInfra
Advt By Patna: After establishing a strong network of roads, Bihar is witnessing a major leap in the civil aviation sector, with a total of six functional big airports expected in the next three years. This is being done with the aim of having at least one airport within a distance of 200 km from any town in the state. Apart from increasing the number of airports, the state also slashed VAT on aviation turbine fuel from 29 per cent to 4 per cent to attract more flight operators and enhance the state's air to TOI, chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena said the state already has three functional airports: one each at Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga. Three others are going to be added to the list, including the fourth one at Purnia, which is targeted to be operational in Aug this year. The fifth in the pipeline is Bihta airport, which is expected to be functional by Dec 2027, and the sixth will be Raxaul airport, with the target of starting operation by June addition to the state's major airports, six new small airports are slated to be developed in the next three years at Madhubani, Saharsa, Birpur (Supaul), Valmiki Nagar (West Champaran), Munger, and Muzaffarpur. These airports will be built under the Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) Ramchandra Deore, special secretary in the cabinet secretariat (with additional charge as director of civil aviation, Bihar), said while these small airport sites already exist and are maintained by the state govt, they currently lack infrastructure such as air traffic control towers and terminal buildings required for flight operations. Under the Udan scheme, these facilities will be constructed with about Rs 25 crore allotted to each airport by the Centre – enabling the airports to become fully functional. With the addition of these six, Bihar will have a total of 12 airports (both big and small).Furthermore, the govt has approved the construction of heliports at Jehanabad, Samastipur, and Nalanda, and this project is now in the past year, Bihar saw key developments in civil aviation. The new terminal at Patna's Jay Prakash Narain International Airport was built at the cost of Rs 1,216 crore. The state also urged the Centre to approve an international greenfield airport near Patna. For Darbhanga airport, 76.65 acres were transferred and 89.75 acres were acquired (Rs 244.61 crore).
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
State set to get 6 functional airports in three years: Chief secy
1 2 Patna: After establishing a strong network of roads, Bihar is witnessing a major leap in the civil aviation sector, with a total of six functional big airports expected in the next three years. This is being done with the aim of having at least one airport within a distance of 200 km from any town in the state. Apart from increasing the number of airports, the state also slashed VAT on aviation turbine fuel from 29% to 4% to attract more flight operators and enhance the state's air connectivity. Talking to TOI, chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena said the state already has three functional airports: one each at Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga. Three others are going to be added to the list, including the fourth one at Purnia, which is targeted to be operational in Aug this year. The fifth in the pipeline is Bihta airport, which is expected to be functional by Dec 2027, and the sixth will be Raxaul airport, with the target of starting operation by June 2028. In addition to the state's major airports, six new small airports are slated to be developed in the next three years at Madhubani, Saharsa, Birpur (Supaul), Valmiki Nagar (West Champaran), Munger, and Muzaffarpur. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo These airports will be built under the Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. Nilesh Ramchandra Deore, special secretary in the cabinet secretariat (with additional charge as director of civil aviation, Bihar), said while these small airport sites already exist and are maintained by the state govt, they currently lack infrastructure such as air traffic control towers and terminal buildings required for flight operations. Under the Udan scheme, these facilities will be constructed with about Rs 25 crore allotted to each airport by the Centre – enabling the airports to become fully functional. With the addition of these six, Bihar will have a total of 12 airports (both big and small). Furthermore, the govt has approved the construction of heliports at Jehanabad, Samastipur, and Nalanda, and this project is now in progress. Over the past year, Bihar saw key developments in civil aviation. The new terminal at Patna's Jay Prakash Narain International Airport was built at the cost of Rs 1,216 crore. The state also urged the Centre to approve an international greenfield airport near Patna. For Darbhanga airport, 76.65 acres were transferred and 89.75 acres were acquired (Rs 244.61 crore).
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Three more airports to become functional in state: CS
Patna: After establishing a strong network of roads, Bihar is witnessing a major leap in the civil aviation sector, with a total of six functional big airports expected in the next three years. This is being done with the aim of having at least one airport within a distance of 200 km from any town in the state. Apart from increasing the number of airports, the state also slashed VAT on aviation turbine fuel from 29% to 4% to attract more flight operators and enhance the state's air connectivity. Talking to TOI, chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena said the state already has three functional airports: one each at Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga. Three others are going to be added to the list, including the fourth one at Purnia, which is targeted to be operational in Aug this year. The fifth in the pipeline is Bihta airport, which is expected to be functional by Dec 2027, and the sixth will be Raxaul airport, with the target of starting operation by June 2028. In addition to the state's major airports, six new small airports are slated to be developed in the next three years at Madhubani, Saharsa, Birpur (Supaul), Valmiki Nagar (West Champaran), Munger, and Muzaffarpur. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo by Taboola by Taboola These airports will be built under the Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. Nilesh Ramchandra Deore, special secretary in the cabinet secretariat (with additional charge as director of civil aviation, Bihar), said while these small airport sites already exist and are maintained by the state govt, they currently lack infrastructure such as air traffic control towers and terminal buildings required for flight operations. Under the Udan scheme, these facilities will be constructed with about Rs 25 crore allotted to each airport by the Centre – enabling the airports to become fully functional. With the addition of these six, Bihar will have a total of 12 airports (both big and small). Furthermore, the govt has approved the construction of heliports at Jehanabad, Samastipur, and Nalanda, and this project is now in progress. Over the past year, Bihar saw key developments in civil aviation. The new terminal at Patna's Jay Prakash Narain International Airport was built at the cost of Rs 1,216 crore. The state also urged the Centre to approve an international greenfield airport near Patna. For Darbhanga airport, 76.65 acres were transferred and 89.75 acres were acquired (Rs 244.61 crore).
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
2 months after Ayodhya, Hisar gets flight to Chandigarh
Mohali/Hisar: Just two months after the launch of a Hisar-Ayodhya flight, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday flagged off a flight from the town's Maharaja Agrasen Airport to Chandigarh, marking a new chapter in regional air connectivity. The return flight of the 48-seater ATR-42 aircraft from Hisar to Chandigarh had 100% occupancy, with Saini and other state ministers as passengers, said an official. Saini announced that air connectivity from Hisar would soon be expanded to Jaipur, Jammu, and Ahmedabad in a phased manner. Earlier, the inaugural flight departed from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, with 27 passengers on board (57% occupancy). The service, operated by Alliance Air, will connect the two cities every Monday and Friday. The flight departs from Chandigarh at 3.20pm and arrives in Hisar by 4.30pm. After a 25-minute halt, it departs from Hisar at 4.55pm and reaches Chandigarh by 5.55pm. To commemorate the occasion, a ceremonial water cannon salute was accorded to the aircraft both during its departure from Chandigarh and its arrival in Hisar—a tradition in aviation to honour inaugural and special flights. The fare for the Chandigarh–Hisar route is being advertised at Rs 1,979, while the return fare is listed at Rs 1,724. The launch is part of a broader effort to improve regional air connectivity under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, aiming to make air travel more accessible to smaller cities across the country. In Hisar, Saini said the first flight from Hisar to Ayodhya was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar. "Today, the second major milestone has been achieved with the start of air service to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Airport in Chandigarh," he added. Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Ajay Kumar called it a "proud moment". "The initiative not only enhances regional connectivity but also strengthens air transport infrastructure across north India," he added. "We are confident that the service will gain further momentum in coming days." Air taxi failed An earlier attempt to connect Chandigarh and Hisar by air failed to attract passengers as amn air taxi facility was inaugurated in Jan 2021 amid much fanfare by the then Haryana chef Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar. The air taxi company had ordered four-seater airplanes. Besides the pilot, three passengers were to travel in the airplane. Launched under the UDAN scheme , it allowed tourists to fly Hisar-Chandigarh-Hisar route for just Rs 1,674 in 45 minutes. The service did could not attract passengers as the flight was also was put in loop with Dehradun.
