Jewar-the next happening hub

Noida International Greenfield Airport, also known as Jewar airport, is an international airport in the making, constructed close to the town of Jewar, Gautama Budh Nagar, UP.

This airport is located about 72 kms away from Indira Gandhi International Airport, which serves the bulk of the needs of the NCR region currently.

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Implemented by the The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) and acting on behalf of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the project will be developed through a Public-Private-Partnership model(PPP). This will be the third international airport in Delhi-NCR after the Indira Gandhi International airport and a regional Airport at Hindon.

The Swiss firm, Zurich International Airport(ZIA) AG grabbed the bid to develop the airport at a massive Rs 29,560 crores.The designing of the airport would bring together renowned architects like Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP and a plan to be implemented as a three-phase competition between June-August 2020.

Swiss firm signs agreement with UP government

Reportedly, Chief minister Aadityanath, wasn't exactly elated with the developments,during one of his official reviews of the plan.

There should be a reflection of the Indian Heritage in the architecture of the main terminal of the buildingChief Minister Yogi Adityanath

Apparently, the Chief Minister wanted an attractive design, but, with an Indian touch and this was conveyed to the developers. He made the statement in a gathering which was also attended by Civil Aviation Minister Nand Gopal Gupta "Nandi", additional Chief Secretary to UP CM SP Goyal .Noida International Airport Limited(NIAL) CEO Arun Vir Singh and of course, representatives from ZIA.

If reports are anything to go by, the architecture promises a swanky building with a larger-than-life food-court, about the size of a football ground, located between the arrival and departure zones.

Work has commenced already and phase 1 of the project is underway with two runways planned on it currently.

On successful completion, the airport will reportedly have six functional runways making it the country's largest airport and one among the world's largest. Currently Chicago's O-Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth grab the top spot with eight and seven runways respectively.

With 3 active runways, Indira Gandhi International Airport is currently the largest in India.Keeping future expansion in mind, there's been  a proposal for the addition of 2 more runways taking the tally to eight-subject to land acquisition clearances.

What's new?

With all the required approvals and clearances from the respective regulatories in place, the airport developer has been given the go-ahead to proceed with the project.The master plan now boasts of multi-modal connectivity, integrated cargo hub and facilities for maintenance, repair and overhaul( MRO) of aircrafts.

The master plan reflects the goals and objectives set by providing solutions that are financially prudent, cost-effective and commercially sound-at the heart of it remains passenger convenienceCristoph Schnellmann, CEO, YIAPL

According to the master plan, the proposed 2 terminals will be operating at a capacity of 30 million and 40 million passengers respectively (annually).

The 2 planned runways will see an infusion of Swiss efficiency, simplicity and quality.

The NIA has the potential to become a key cargo hub gateway in North IndiaYIAPL

As far as multi-modal connectivity goes, the master plan has provisions for intricate and seamless road, rail, bus and metro connectivity. The Yamuna Expressway would connect the NIA with NCR and to the city of Agra- which hosts one of the 7 wonders of the world- the iconic Taj Mahal.

Metro rail from Greater Noida to Jewar airport by 2023

The provisions under the plan is touted to ultimately position the state of Uttar Pradesh on the global logistics map.

We are delighted that we have been able to complete the master planning activity within the agreed timelines despite limitations due to COVID-19. We are looking forward to developing a world-class airport for the people of India that truly combines hospitality of India with Swiss efficiencyChristoph Schnellmann

COVER: IndiaTV News

IMAGE(s): Top Indi News, Navbharat Times

The new integrated terminal building being constructed at Pune airport with an investment of INR 475 crore to handle 2,300 passengers during the peak hours is expected to be completed by March 2022, AAI said on Wednesday, September 1.

A multi-level car park (ground plus three-storeyed +2 basement floors) is also under construction for INR 120 crore as part of the airport revamp plan, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said in a release.

AAI has undertaken the construction work for the new integrated terminal building at Pune Airport to cater to the continuous surge in passenger traffic and ease congestion at the airport.

The proposed new look of the Pune Airport

More than 40% of the work is completed and the new building, which is spread in over 5 lakh sq ft area, is likely to be completed by March 2022, AAI said.

The swanky new terminal building will be able to process 2,300 passengers (1,700 domestic and 600 international) during peak hours, it said, adding that it will be equipped with five boarding bridges, 34 check-in counters and in-line baggage handling system,Besides, 32,000 sq ft space has been provisioned for food and beverages and retail outlets inside the airport, the release said. The project also includes the construction of a service yard of 3,800 sq metre, a 10-lakh litre capacity underground tank, 1,130-kilolitres per day capacity sewage treatment plant, among others, it said.

With a parking capacity of 1,024 cars, the facility will be connected to the departure area of the existing building with a sky bridge with the provision of escalators and an elevator at the building side for dropping/going up.

A multi-level car park (ground plus 3 stories + 2 basement floors) is under construction for INR 120 crore

The car park facility is likely to be completed by April 2022, AAI added. The new building, which is expected to increase the daily flight movements, including international flights, is coming up on the eastern side of the existing terminal building.

“We are planning to complete construction of all important aspects of the building, which include the integration with the existing building so that flights can start seamlessly,” the airport official said.

Construction of the building started in December 2018 and a multi-level car parking facility (ground, three-storey and two basement floors) was being simultaneously constructed at ‘parking number-1’ of the airport. An official in charge of the parking facility’s construction said getting the workers back had become a problem and air tickets were sent to them to return to Pune.

The HAL, on Tuesday, announced its biggest ever order in association with GE for the acquisition of 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines which would power the indigenously made LCA Thejas. The contract worth Rs 5,375 crores was officially signed at HAL's corporate office on August 17.

Business Standard

This is the largest-ever deal and the purchase order placed by HAL for LCAsaid R Madhavan, CMD, HAL

The highest thrust variant of the F404 family, the F404-GE-IN20 incorporates GE’s latest hot section materials and technologies as well as FADEC for reliable power and operational characteristics.

F404-GE-IN20

Ordering the engines marks a major milestone in the execution of 83 LCA contracts with IAF. The co-operation will further be enhanced with the manufacturing of GE F414 engines in India for the upcoming LCA MkII programmeread a statement by the HAL

Let's take a brief look at what exactly the LCA Thejas program is all about.

The LCA program(Thejas)

The Financial Express

The LCA was christened as "THEJAS" by the then prime minister, Mr. Atal Bihary Vajpayee(2003).The LCA Thejas program was initiated in the early 80s when the IAF realized the need to retire the ageing MIG-21 fighters and upgrade the arsenal with more state-of-the-art technology.

This time around, focus would be more on indigenously produced  parts and softwares. This led to the formation of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), with HAL being the primary contractor.

The LCA design and development would be spearheaded by ADA and HAL's Aircraft Research and Design. Center(ARDC) - The design was conceptualised in 1990 while the development was planned in 2 phases:

Phase 1: Would see the design, development and testing of two technology demonstrator aircraft (TD-1&2).

Phase 2: Three more prototypes were built comprising of Naval and Trainer variants.

8 Limited Series Production (LSP) aircraft were developed between April 2007 and March 2013, as precursors to series production (SP) aircraft.

Technical Specifications

The smallest and lightest supersonic aircraft of its class, it boasts of fly-by-wire (FBW) control system, multi-mode radar (MMR) and an afterburning turbofan engine (ATE).

Equipped with digital avionics, it has a composite material structure.It is a fourth generation aircraft with "relaxed state ability" (RSS). This technology renders the aircraft inherently unstable thereby greatly enhancing inflight manoeuvrability.

The TD-1 prototype took to the skies for the first time on Jan 04,2001 followed by a successful supersonic flight on 01 August 2003. The FBW system was developed by the National Aeronautical Lab(NAL) and this bird proudly boasts of components which are majorly built indigenously ( about 70%).The HAL and DRDO's Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) were initially in the race to indigenously manufacture the MMR when technological adversities forced them to make use of an available radar from a foreign OEM.

The Israeli ELTA EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radar (FCR) was tested in April 2010 and is being used in the first batch of 40 TEJAS Mark I.

The fully indigenous Uttam AESA Radar will mount 63 aircraft of the second contract for 83 aircraft. This radar is capable of multi-target tracking (upto 100 targets) at a maximum range of 150 km for a target with 2m2 radar cross-section (RCS) and prioritised target engagement.The GTX-35VS ATE (Kaveri), was an indigenously developed propulsion system, by DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), in the late 1980s.

GTX-35VS ATE (Kaveri)

In 2004, GE was awarded a contract for 17 upgraded F404-GE-IN20 ATE to power eight IAF and two Naval prototypes while in 2008, 24 F404-IN20 upgraded ATE were ordered for the  first TEJAS Mark I squadron of the IAF.

The Indian Navy(IN) and the LCA Thejas program

Naval Thejas MK-2

The Indian Navy (IN) opted out of the LCA Program in December 2016, citing concerns over excessive weight. Following this, a fresh Request for Information (RFI) for 57 Multi- Role Carrier Borne Fighters (MRCBF) was made later on.

MULTI ROLE CARRIER BORNE FIGHTERS

A conceptual design for a Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) was unveiled at Aero-India 2021 by ADA/DRDO. It is expected to make it's maiden flight by 2026 with induction expected possibly by the beginning of the next decade.

Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter

Final design of India's 5th Gen Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft(AMCA) at Aero India 2021

COVER: The Indian Express

Images: Indian Defence News, Reddit, Swarajya

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, MoS, Civil Aviation, General Dr V K Singh (Retd.) along with Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Mr Pradeep Kharola virtually flagged off two flights today strengthening the international & domestic aerial connectivity of Madhya Pradesh. The event marked the commencement of Indigo’s new direct flights on the Gwalior – Indore (Madhya Pradesh) - Delhi route & resumption of Air India’s Indore (Madhya Pradesh) – Dubai (UAE) direct flight.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh graced the event virtually from Bhopal.

Several other dignitaries including Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Cabinet Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Energy Minister (Madhya Pradesh), Bharat Singh Kushwaha, Minister of State – Horticulture and Food Processing (Independent Charge), Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar, Member of Parliament – Lok Sabha, Dr Satish Sikarwar, Member of Legislative Assembly – Gwalior East joined the event virtually from Gwalior.

TulsiramSilavat, Minister – Water Resources, Fisheries Welfare and Fisheries Development, Usha Thakur, Minister – Tourism, Culture, Adhyatm, Shankar Lalwani, Member of Parliament – Lok Sabha, Kailash Vijayvargiya, National General Secretary BJP, Ramesh Mendola, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA)- Indore, Malini Laxman Singh Gaur, MLA, Mahendra Hardia, MLA, Akash Vijayvargiya, MLA, Sanjay Shukla, MLA, Vishal Jagdish Patel, MLA joined the inauguration virtually from Indore. Senior officials of MoCA & AAI were also present during the ceremony held at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, New Delhi.

“The establishment of direct flight connectivity on the Indore – Gwalior – Delhi route aligns with the objectives of the Sab Uden Sab Juden initiative of the Government of India. With the aerial connectivity of the 2 cities of Madhya Pradesh with immense potential, new opportunities will get a boost in sectors of trade and tourism.”Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation

He further informed that in the last 53 days, Madhya Pradesh got 58 new flights and with 314 new aircraft movements the number of aircraft movements in the state has increased from 424 to 738. Indore which was earlier connected to 8 cities, has now been connected to 13 cities. Similarly, aerial connectivity of Gwalior has expanded from 4 to 6 cities.

The event marked the commencement of Indigo’s new direct flights on the Gwalior – Indore - Delhi route & the resumption of Air India’s Indore – Dubai (UAE) direct flight.

Gwalior is known for its beautiful forts, temples, tomb, museum, and palaces. The increased accessibility will not only enhance tourism but also promote trade and commerce in the region.

Air India's Indore-Dubai flight resumes after 17 months

Air India group currently operates flights from/to Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Bilaspur to various destinations within India. On the international route, Air India has been operating a direct flight from Indore to Dubai since 2019 which is recommencing now with this non-stop connection.

According to experts, the flight, which was initially launched on July 15, 2019, on public demand, will give a boost to tourism and trade between central India and the UAE.

"The Indore-Dubai flight is being resumed after 17 months. I remember that just five days after I became the civil aviation minister, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made the first demand to me that this flight be resumed," he said while addressing the function through video conference.

The flight schedules are mentioned below:

Indigo Gwalior – Delhi - Indore flight schedule -

FLIGHT NO.FROMTOFREQUENCYDEPARTUREARRIVALAIRCRAFTEFFECTIVE FROM6E 7356DelhiGwaliorDaily07:1008:10 ATR 1-Sep-21 6E 7358GwaliorIndoreDaily08:3010:00 ATR 1-Sep-21 6E 7359IndoreGwaliorDaily10:2012:00 ATR 1-Sep-21 6E 7357GwaliorDelhiDaily12:2013:30 ATR 1-Sep-21

Air India Indore – Dubai flight schedule -

FLIGHT NO.FROMTOFREQUENCYDEPARTUREARRIVALEFFECTIVE FROMAI0955IndoreDubaiWednesday12:3515:051-Sep-21AI0956DubaiIndoreWednesday16:0520:551-Sep-21

Private airport operators are expected to spend around INR 42,000 crore on capacity expansion over the five years through fiscal 2026 as they are confident of air traffic growth in the long term, Crisil Ratings said on Tuesday, August 30. The amount will be more than double the capital expenditure (CAPEX) they incurred in the previous five financial years, it said.

According to Crisil, the confidence in CAPEX stems from the strong long-term fundamentals and regulated tariff structure, which allows pass-through of CAPEX costs and thereby keeping the risks low. Before the pandemic hitting the country in early 2020, private airports were bursting at their seams, operating at over 115% of their design capacity. It was around 175 million passengers on a design capacity of about 150 million passengers, as per the rating agency.

Before the pandemic hitting the country in early 2020, private airports were bursting at their seams, operating at over 115% of their design capacity.

The high operating rate was due to strong annual growth of over 8 per cent in air traffic between fiscals 2016 and 2020, Crisil said, adding the operating rates took a massive hit in fiscal 2021 as the pandemic and the subsequent economic slowdown led to traffic nose-diving by around 65%.

Though the current fiscal also started with a more virulent second COVID wave, prospects of economic recovery look brighter with the infection rate easing, vaccinations gathering pace, and the government continuing its thrust on infrastructure development, it said.

Stating that airports also earn from non-aero activities, Crisil said by fiscal 2024, an increase in passenger traffic and economic revival should help this revenue stream rebound by 50%

In its note, the rating agency also said the economic growth outlook remains strong and GDP is expected to grow at around 7.4% CAGR over the next four years — fiscal 2022 to fiscal 2025 — in real terms. "Economic growth will boost air traffic volumes given the impact on the increase in per capita consumption and shift in preference towards an efficient mode of commute.

"Given that air traffic in India tends to grow faster than the GDP growth and the government's push to connect lower-tier cities with metros under its regional connectivity scheme, we expect a robust 8.5% annual air traffic growth at Indian airports till fiscal 2026 (compared to fiscal 2020 levels)." Ankit Hakhu, Director, Crisil Ratings

This would mean an additional around 190 million passengers will fly pan India by fiscal 2026 over the pre-pandemic base of fiscal 2020 of 340 million passengers, taking the overall traffic to around 530 million passengers by fiscal 2026, as per the note. Out of the total, 70% or around 375 million passengers are expected to be handled by private airports in fiscal 2026, up from around 50% in fiscal 2020.

This expected demand growth is driving private airport operators to enhance the design capacity to 340 million passengers per annum from the pre-pandemic level of around 150 million, Crisil said. Despite this significant capacity expansion, the strong increase in demand could keep utilisation rates of these airports around 100% by fiscal 2026.

"While the high utilisation rate justifies the large CAPEX, credit profiles of these airports will also be supported by their regulatory business model. Tariffs for these airports are based on a fixed regulated return (weighted average of around 16 per cent on the equity investment and the market cost of debt) on CAPEX in the next five years, which provides certainty regarding cash-flow return on the CAPEX." Varun Marwaha, Associate Director, Crisil Ratings

Stating that airports also earn from non-aero activities, Crisil said by fiscal 2024, an increase in passenger traffic and economic revival should help this revenue stream rebound by 50% (in absolute terms over fiscal 2020) and contribute over 40% to the overall revenue of private airports.

British Airways will operate direct flights from Chennai to London from August 31. The airline will resume operations on London’s Heathrow airport and Chennai thrice a week on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday from London and Monday, Thursday, and Saturday from Chennai on its return leg.

British Airways has increased flights from India to the UK from 10 to 20 per week from August 16. The decision came as the UK government moved India to an amber list.

"British Airways will now operate 20 direct return flights across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad providing convenient options for customers wanting to travel to London, Heathrow. To help customers navigate the changing entry requirement and facilitate a seamless journey, they can choose to download the VeriFLY app before departing to London. The digital health app allows customers to combine their travel verification documents and Covid-19 test results in one place and confirms their eligibility with a few simple steps."British Airways said in a statement.

https://twitter.com/aaichnairport/status/1431563969983045633

Tweet from the Chennai Airport

Earlier, the UK government moved India from the 'red' list to the 'amber' list on August 8. In addition, the Indian government allowed UK carriers to operate additional flights, increasing the weekly cap from 15 to 34 per week.

"It is wonderful to see connections between India and London being restored after months of uncertainty caused by the global pandemic. These additional new flights will allow our Indian customers, who have waited so patiently, to reunite with their loved ones. The flights also provide new travel options for Indian students wishing to travel to the UK and beyond for further studies, ahead of the start of a new academic year."Moran Birger, British Airways' Head of Sales for South Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Customers booking with British Airways can exchange their booking for a voucher or move their dates without incurring a change fee, read the statement. British Airways has extended its flexible booking policies. If you’re due to travel before August 31, 2022, you can change your booking without any change fees, or request a voucher that can be used for travel at any time up until September 30, 2023.