Airlines say airport fee increases are hurting ability to weather economic crisis

September 27th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Chandigarh airport's only Instrument Landing System (ILS), used for the safe landing of flights in case of poor visibility due to bad weather or fog, has been out of order for the last few months. Airport authorities say it will take four-five months to replace it.

September 8th, 2009 DOT releases airline delay list for AugustThe percentage of airline flights in August that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, according to the U.S. Transportation Department: 1.

August 10th, 2009 47 spend 'nightmare' 6 hours in grounded planeMINNEAPOLIS —Forty-seven passengers were forced to sit in a cramped, smelly plane on an airport tarmac for six hours after their flight was diverted because of bad weather. The Friday night Continental Express flight from Houston to Minneapolis scheduled to take just 2½ hours, but the plane was diverted to Rochester airport because of stormy weather and landed around midnight.

August 4th, 2009 Airlines June delays worst of the yearNEW YORK — U.S. airlines in June turned in their worst on-time performance since December, the Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

August 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's private airlines Sunday called off their proposal to suspend domestic operations Aug 18 in view of widespread public protest and a stern warning from the government. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), a representative body of the carriers, had earlier said the private airlines would not fly Aug 18 if the government failed to announce a bailout package to help tide over the ongoing crisis which they claim has escalated their collective losses to over $2 billion.

August 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Yashwant S. Bhave Saturday took over as the first chairperson of the newly constituted Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), a watchdog that will look at issues such as the tariff for various ground operations and landing fees for airlines.

April 28th, 2009 China Southern Airlines 1Q profit down 71 percentBEIJING — China Southern Airlines Ltd., one of China's three major state-owned carriers, said Tuesday its profit fell 71 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier amid a slump in traffic. Profit for the three months ending March 31 was 222 million yuan ($32.4 million) or 0.03 yuan per share, the carrier said.

April 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Kingfisher Airlines, its low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red and Indigo Airlines will operate from the new domestic terminal (1D) at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here from April 19, the airport developer announced Friday. Jet Airways and its low-cost carrier JetLite, as well as SpiceJet will begin operating from the new terminal later this month.

March 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - With the newly-built departure terminal at Delhi airport set to be opened in the first week of April, India's national carrier Air India Friday said it would not shift its operations to the new terminal. 'We will continue to operate from the existing 1A terminal,' an Air India spokesperson told IANS.

February 26th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel will Thursday inaugurate a new departure terminal at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here which will be able to handle all outbound domestic passengers, an official said. However, the terminal, 1D, set up at an investment of Rs.5 billion (Rs.500 crore), will be opened for passengers only by March-end, said the official of the Delhi International Airport Ltd, which runs the IGI Airport.

February 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A new departure terminal at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, which will be able to handle all outbound domestic passengers, will be operational by March-end, officials said. The new terminal, 1D, set up at an investment of Rs.5 billion (Rs.500 crore), will be inaugurated Thursday, but will be opened for passengers only by March-end, said an official of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which runs the IGI Airport.

February 7th, 2009 HYDERABAD - The seventh Routes Asia 2009, a premier event for the airlines and airports, will be held here March 29-31. GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) is hosting the event aimed at sustaining and developing air services.

January 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Territorial Army (TA) personnel have been deployed at the Delhi airport to ensure smooth flight operations in the wake of the nationwide strike by public sector oil company employees, an airport official said Thursday. The strike, started Wednesday, has hit refuelling services in many other airports, including Mumbai, leading to brief flight delays.

December 22nd, 2008 NEW DELHI - India's aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Tuesday asked airlines to adhere to its guidelines while flying in low visibility conditions at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The DGCA had earlier asked the airlines to keep it informed routinely about the deployment of CAT II and CAT III pilots - trained to fly in low visibility conditions.

December 22nd, 2008 NEW DELHI - The government Tuesday said it would take 'all possible steps, including legal action' against airlines if they continue to default on airport service charge dues. According to the government, the airlines owe around Rs.11.01 billion (Rs.1,101 crore) to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the airport service charge.