Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

Bengaluru International Airport completes 6 months of operations

Bengaluru International Airport announced the completion of six months of airport operations. The new greenfield airport opened on 24-May-08. 80% of the aircrafts departed on time with 15 mins tolerance, as per the internationally accepted norms. Average wait time for delivery of the first baggage on the arrival belt being 9 minutes for domestic and 13 minutes for international arrivals. …

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2008: The year reality struck home for airlines in India

The turmoil in the Indian airline industry during the month of October has produced results that can be, only mildly described as, significant. In just four weeks, castles built over the last four or more years, have come crashing down. By the end of 2008, the Indian airline industry which accounts for less than 2% of the global airline market, …

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Jet gets Rs 1,000 crore from Mubadala Development Co.

The Business Standard reports that Indian carrier Jet Airways is believed to have struck a deal last week with west Asian investment agency Mubadala Development Company for a funding of Rs 1,000 crore (approx $ 200 million). The instrument of funding, however, has yet to be formalised.Mubadala is wholly owned by the government of Emirates of Abu Dhabi. The tenure …

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Indian Air Force clears second runway at Bengaluru International Airport

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has cleared the construction of the second runway at Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). As per the BIAL master plan, the second runway (27L-09R), will come up to the south of the airport. The promoters of the airport, BIAL, have been pushing for …

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A video and audio tribute to Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs)

Air traffic control is one of, if not, the most stressful job in the world. Air traffic control officers (ATCOs) have to be constantly on the alert, even when pilots make a mistake. We as passengers never hear of their deeds, only of their mis-deeds. In a tribute to ATCOs around the world, I present a collection of videos and …

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Delhi IGIA to get world’s 2nd largest air terminal

India can boast of having the second largest airport terminal in the world when the third terminal building at the Indira Gandhi International airport (IGIA) here comes up in 2010. The terminal building alone will come up on 20 acres of land, with the entire seven-storey structure providing a total space of about 5,20,000 square metres and having a capacity …

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Tourist entry permit requirements for Lakshadweep islands

Air India Regional (Alliance Air) ATR-42 VT-ABB

Entry into Lakshadweep islands is restricted to non-islanders, and governed under the Lakshadweep rules 1967 which state “No person who is not a native of the island shall enter or reside in the island except and in accordance with permit issued by the competent authority.” The government has recently strengthened the requirement call for airlines to check for the entry …

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Jet Airways’ JetPrivilege and United Airlines’ Mileage Plus forge partnership

Jet Airways, will forge a frequent flyer partnership with United Airlines, one of the largest international carriers based in the United States, effective November 15, 2008. With this partnership, Jet Airways’ JetPrivilege members may now earn and redeem JPMiles on the entire global network of United Airlines, and, United Airlines’ Mileage Plus members may now earn and redeem their miles …

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Singapore Airlines: a 5-star no more

As a regular flier around the world, I would always experience the mental shock of coming down the levels as I transited from my Singapore Airlines flight, on to a domestic US carrier. It did not matter whether it was American, Continental, Delta, United, or US Airways, it did not matter if the transition was from economy to economy, or …

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Jet Airways sacks 35 expat pilots

With the aviation industry in a facing rough weather, private air-carrier Jet Airways has terminated services of up to 35 expatriate pilots who captain the airlines’ Boeing 737-aircraft. Confirming the development, a Jet Airways spokesperson said some 25-odd pilots have been sacked. But aviation industry sources claimed that services of up to 35 expatriate Boeing-737 captains have been terminated by …

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British Airways withdraws London Kolkata Dhaka flight

More bad news on the aviation front. CNN-IBN reports that British Airways will suspend its flights between Kolkata, Dhaka and London from March 28 next year as it finds the route unprofitable, an airline officer said here Friday. “The decision to suspend flights between Kolkata and London has been a difficult one to make. However, the route is not making …

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Air India Airbus 310 tilts and scrapes wing on runway during landing

161 passengers and crew on board an Air India Airbus A310 aircraft AI 962 had a narrow escape today when the right wing of the aircraft on a flight from Jeddah tilted and grazed the runway while landing at the Karippur International Airport in Malappuram, Kerala. According to airport sources, the pilot managed to bring the airplane to a quick …

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Air Asia announces operations from Kuala Lumpur to India

AirAsia, a low-cost carrier from Malayasia, has announced that it will commence its daily direct flight to Tiruchirappalli, India from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia beginning 1st December 2008. Employing a brand new fleet of Airbus A320, Tiruchirappalli will be the first route to be launched by AirAsia in India. To celebrate the launch of this new service, AirAsia is offering an …

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Man cheats death under Mumbai local train

I came across a startling set of photos at http://rammy-time2know.blogspot.com/2008/10/death-wont-be-closer-than-this.html. The blog article is definitely worth a visit. A man slipped under the local train and only by some miracle has survived. For sure, God and all angels were looking out for this fool, since he wasn’t.

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New taxiway N9 opened at Mumbai airport

As part of its ongoing efforts to upgrade the runway system at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL) inaugurated a new taxiway N9 last week. MIAL is trying to reduce the runway occupancy time by landing aircraft at CSIA. N9 which is located on the Northwest side of primary runway 09-27 will immensely improve runway …

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Oil companies cut Aviation Turbine Fuel further

PTI reports, state-run oil marketing companies on November 3, cut jet fuel prices further by Rs 2,100 per kilolitre on top of the 17 per cent reduction, which was announced last week after the government exempted Customs Duty on fuel last week. Oil majors like Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) …

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Bangalore real time flight arrivals information

You can also use the “BIA Arrivals” and “BIA Departures” link from the top menu bar for real time Bengaluru flight arrival and departure information from the Bengaluru International Airport website. For flight arrival and departure information in other cities, please select the “Real time flight information” tag from the right sidebar. Flight information is provided by FlightStats, and is …

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Minister assaults Kingfisher station manager

Politics is the last refuge of scoundrels, very true in India, especially those from the state of Bihar, and the pinnacle is the Rashtriya Janata Dal.The Press Trust of India reports Union Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh allegedly beat up the station manager of Kingfisher Airlines at Patna Airport on Monday after he was not allowed …

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British Airways plan to buy GoAir hits legal roadblock

According to a PTI report, British Airways’ (BA) multi-million pound takeover plan of Low Cost Carrier (LCC) GoAir got derailed and the Europe’s leading carrier may now negotiate for a marketing alliance instead. The report, which quoted UK’s The Sunday Times, “British Airways planned an audacious, multi-million pound takeover of one of India’s leading airlines – but the scheme was …

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Jet Airways launches special in-flight programme and contest for young passengers

Jet Airways, has just launched an In-flight Festival for Children called W.O.W (World of Wonders) with the onset of the festive season. WOW – is a tailor-made, two month long in-flight fiesta suitable for viewing by the entire family, while they fly Jet Airways. The festival will feature an exclusive Disney Channel compilation of hit shows like Hannah Montana featuring …

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