Report Card - II: Indian Aviation Progress in 2010

After discussing the actions of the Civil Aviation Ministry of the Government and India's Aviation Policy towards the West, I now put forward the other statistical aspects of the country's aviation sector.

This is the second and final post in the series discussing the performance in the Indian skies...

Security Measures

Keeping in view the security scenario and enhanced civil aviation activities, four regional offices of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has been created at Guwahati, Amritsar, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad airport in addition to the existing Regional offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

The Anti-Hijacking (Amendment) Bill, 2010

With a view to enhance the punishment, for the offences of hijack of aircrafts and also for the conspirators, to death penalty, the amendment is proposed in the Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982. The final Bill has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha on 19 August, 2010. The Bill has now been referred to the Ministry of Law.

Mangalore Crash - IX 812 of Air India Express operating from Dubai to Mangalore was involved in an unfortunate accident on 22^nd May 2010. There were 160 passengers and 6 crew members on Board. There were only 8 survivors. A Court of Enquiry headed by Air Marshal (Retd.) B.N. Gokhale was set up. The Court has submitted its report which is under examination.

Airports
Phase-I of the Modernization of Delhi Airport was completed on 31 March 2010, at an estimated project cost of Rs. 12258 crores. A new integrated Terminal-3 has become operational which has 34 million passengers handling capacity per annum.

The major development works completed Modernization of Mumbai Airport during 201010 are South-West pier, integrated processor terminal, Baggage Handling System (BHS) in the new domestic terminal, six Passenger Boarding Bridges (PBBs) in the new domestic terminal.

Underthe Policy for Greenfield Airports the Government, during the year had accorded “in-principle” approval for setting up of a Greenfield airport at Dabra (Madhya Pradesh), Palladi (Rajasthan), Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Kushi Nager (Uttar Pradesh).

Airports Authority of India (AAI) Airports Authority of India registered an all time high revenues of Rs. 4,615 Crores, which was 10% more than the previous year. Similarly, capital expenditure incurred on infrastructure works at various airports rose from Rs. 2547.52 crores to Rs. 2,742.54 crores.

New Terminal Buildings have been commissioned at Varanasi, Barapani (Shillong), Madurai, Mysore and Ahmedabad airports.Existing terminal buildings have been upgraded/ modernized at Pune, airport. Runways/ Taxiways have been extended / expanded at Varanasi, Ranchi, Guwahati, Bhopal, Gondia, Ludhiana, Cuddappah and Coimbatore airports. Upto November 2010 progress of work for modernization and development at Chennai and Kolkata Airports has been 66% and 46%.Work on the construction of new Greenfield Airports at Pakyong in Sikkim is in progress.

• For the implementation of the GAGAN project of satellite based navigation, site acceptance test for Indian reference stations has been completed at Goa, Jaiselmer, Porbander and work is in progress at Dibrugarh, Nagpur and Bhubaneswar.
• A dedicated Air Cargo Complex facility at Veer Savarkar Airport, Port Blair has been operationalised.
• A new Joint Venture Company under the name “Chandigarh International Airport Limited” has been set up to undertake the construction of a new International Terminal Building at Chandigarh Airport.
• Setting up of International airport at Navi Mumbai.
  After getting the environmental clearance in November, 2010, the development of the Greenfield airport at Navi Mumbai will get underway. It is projected to have sufficient capacity to handle the additional traffic around Mumbai, which is expected to go upto about 80 mppa by 2031-32
• Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA): - The Akademi this year, has inducted 14 Single engine DA 40 Aircraft and one twin engine DA 42 aircraft and installed two Flight Simulators. The Akademi has 14 flying instructors and has flown 14934 hrs during 2010. So far this year, 62 cadets have completed their flying and 114 trainees have been inducted. Campus selection team from Air India and Jet Airways visited Akademi in Aug/Sept. and December, 2010 for induction of trainee pilots.
  
  India Aviation 2010 - a Civil Aviation air show, was held for the second time at Begampet Airport, Hyderabad in March 2010. The next edition would be held from 14-18, March 2012.
• An independent audit by FAA under IASA program confirmed India to be a role model in the Asia Region in the Civil Aviation. The Ministry of Civil Aviation was awarded on 1 December, 2010 the “KPMG – Infrastructure Today Award” for being the most admired Central Entity in the transport sector.

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