Airports

New Delhi, 18th February 2022: Chandigarh International Airport Limited presented Interim dividend amounting to Rs. 6.67 Crore (Net of Taxes) for the Financial year 2021-22 to Airports Authority of India (AAI) on 17th February 2022. M.N.N Rao ED (Engg) & Nominee Director of CHIAL, D.K. Kamra, RED (NR), AAI & Nominee Director, CHIAL & CEO Rakesh Dembla handed over the cheque to Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman, AAI in the presence of A K Pathak,Member (Planning) & M Suresh, Member (ANS).Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL), a Joint Venture Company was formed by AAI (51% stake), the Government of Haryana (24.5% stake) & the Government of Punjab (24.5% stake).

Agartala; 4th Jan 2022: The new integrated terminal building of Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport was inaugurated by the Prime Minister today in Agartala.Also present were Governor of Tripura, SatyadeoNarain Arya, Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb, Union Civil Aviation Ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Pratima Bhoumik. In his address, Scindia said that today a new chapter has been added to the glorious history of Tripura with the inauguration of the new State-of-Art terminal. The Integrated Terminal is an example of the vision and determination of the Prime Minister. This will open new doors of development in the state and North East Region. The airport of Agartala, which was spread over 10,000 square meters, has now been built in an area of 30,000 square meters which will showcase the cultural heritage of Tripura. Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport will now be able to cater 30 lakh passengers every year instead of 13 lakh in a year. Under the Krishi Udan2.0 scheme of the Central Government, 4500 kg of agricultural products have been exported in the month of November 2021, which includes pineapple and jackfruit of Tripura. Agartala Airport is one of the major Airports in North East Region situated in the capital of Tripura. It is capable of handling 4C type of Aircraft operations.Operators like Indigo, Air India, Flybig are presently operating 230 flights in a week, connecting Kolkata, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Imphal, Shillong,Lengpui, Bangalore and Delhi. Major facilities at the airport includes: • Runway (18/36) dimensions – 2286m x 45m • Apron to park 04 nos. C Type A-321 and 1 no. ATR-72 type aircraft at a time. • Terminal Building has an area of 10725 Sq. Mt. to handle 500 pax. (250 arriving + 250 departing) at a timewith an annual capacity of 1.3 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA). • NAV/Comm. Aids like Instrument Landing System (ILS), Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range (DVOR) etc. available. • ATC Control Tower cum Technical Block and Fire Station of CAT-VII. • Night Landing Facilities. • 2 Mega Watt Solar Panels for Renewable Energy New Integrated Terminal Building has been completed with an area of 30,000 sqm. and handling capacity of 1200 Peak Hour Passenger (PHP) having an annual capacity of 3 MPPA & Apron for 6 additional parking bays for A-321 type of aircrafts.The New Terminal building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 450Crore(excluding GST). Heritage: Local Cultural / Architectural Inspiration a. The dynamic and iconic form of the building is derived from the hilly terrain of the State of Tripura. b. Bamboo architecture is represented in the façade of the terminal building by way of a floral jaali pattern depicting the forests and greens of the region. c. Local tribal stone sculptures of the Unakoti Hills and local bamboo handicrafts have been extensively used in the interiors. d. Local culture and architecture have been depicted in the interiors of the building by means of artwork and sculptures. Courtesy: PIB

New Delhi: 14th Dec 2021: Upgradation and modernization of civil aviation infrastructure is an ongoing process and is undertaken by concerned airport operators from time to time depending on the availability of land, commercial viability, socio-economic considerations, traffic demand/willingness of airlines to operate to/from such airports. AAI has taken up development of new airports and expansion/ upgradation of existing airports at estimated cost of around Rs. 25,000 crores in next 4-5 years which includes expansion and modification of existing terminals, new terminals, expansion or strengthening of existing runways, aprons, Airport Navigation Services control towers, technical blocks etc. In addition, three Public Private Partnership (PPP) airports at Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru have undertaken major expansion plan to the tune of Rs. 30,000 Crores by 2025. These projects are at various stages of planning/development. Government of India has formulated a Greenfield Airport Policy, 2008which provides Guidelines for establishment of new Greenfield Airports in thecountry. As per Policy, an Airport Developer, including the State Governments, willing to establish an Airport is required to send a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA).There is a 2-stage process for approval of the proposal i.e. ‘Site-Clearance’ stage and ‘In-Principle’ approval stage. In accordance with this policy, MoCA receives proposals from the State Governments or Airportdevelopers from time to time for establishment of airports. MoCA has so faraccorded ‘in-principle’ approval for setting up of 21 Greenfield Airports across thecountry namely Mopain Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Bijapur, Hassan and Shimoga in Karnataka, Datia(Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dagadarthi, Bhogapuramand Oravakal in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim,Kannur in Kerala and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh out of which eight airports namely Durgapur, Shirdi, Sindhudurg, Pakyong, Kannur, Kalaburagi, Oravakal and Kushinagar have been operationalized. Under UDAN scheme, so far, 154 RCS airports including 14 water aerodromes & 36 helipads have been identified for development/upgradation.

November 25, New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of Noida International Greenfield Airport at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh. Noida International Airport is planned in 1334 hectares area at Jewar in the Yamuna Expressway International Development Authority (YEIDA) notified area of district Gautam Budhha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The airport will be strategically located at about 72 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport, about 52 kilometers from Noida, about 130 kilometers from Agra and about 90 kilometers from Multi-Modal Logistics Hub at Dadri. The project will be implemented by Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), which is a joint-venture company. UP Government will hold a share of 37.5 per cent in the company. Other stake-holders are Noida – 37.5 per cent, Greater Noida – 12.5 per cent and YEIDA – 12.5 per cent. The project will be completed in 4 phases. As per Concession Agreement, first phase for 12 million passengers per annum is to be completed and made operational within 1095 days from the appointed date by 29.9.2024. The airport is strategically located with the excellent approach roads in all directions. There is a 100 meter wide Yamuna Expressway connecting Greater Noida to Agra. The 100 meter wide Western Peripheral Expressway passes through Yamuna Expressway at Formula-1 Track connecting Palwal, Manesar, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Meerut. For the Jewar airport all clearances and NOCs have been obtained. Land acquisition has been completed. The Concession Agreement for the project was signed on 7th October, 2020 and financial closure has been achieved on 10th August, 2021. Master Plan for the development of the airport has been approved and rehabilitation and re-settlement has been completed. By the implementation of this project, there will be all round development of the industrial infrastructure in the region, employment opportunities will increase and manufacturing and export will be encouraged. The Airport will also facilitate air traffic along with rapid growth in tourism. YEIDA under the Government of Uttar Pradesh is the Nodal department for the development of the project.

Bengaluru, November 22, 2021: Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL),operator of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru(BLR Airport)has become the first Airport in South Asia to commission a Rosenbauer Tactical Simulator,further strengthening its firefighting capabilities. With this simulator, firefighters can train in a realistic environment, master the tactical use of Rosenbauer Panther trucks as well as operate High Reach Extendable Turrets(HRET) for extreme aircraft fire emergencies. The state-of-the-art facility will be open for firefighters from other airports (in India and abroad), State Fire Departments and Defence Forces. The simulator provides Incident Commanders,Crew Commanders and Lead Firefighters an opportunity to gain experience in the tactical use of CFTs through turret control and application of firefighting agents, command and control, vehicle operation and basic driving and positioning skills. The simulator has a cockpit that matches every detail of the Rosenbauer fire truck, providing a realistic experience in operation of CFTs, including all operating controls, from the steering wheel to turret control, projected through multiple 55″ HD screens. Firefighters can be prepared for all kinds of aircraft related emergencies as multiple scenarios can be customised. Simulator training increases professional competency of firefighters as the scenarios are realistic and sessions can be replayed for effective evaluation. To ensure the safety and security of all stakeholders, including passengers and airlines, BIAL has added four advanced Rosenbauer CFTs to its fleet. Two Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 trucks and two Rosenbauer Panther 8×8 trucks,including two with HRETs were commissioned recently, taking the overall number of CFTs in its fleet to eight.BLR Airport is the only airport in India to commission these hi-tech trucks with HRETs. “At BLR Airport, our top priority is to maintain the highest standards of safety and with the Rosenbauer CFTs, we are well-equipped to efficiently handle difficult fire emergencies. We believe in training our teams, equipping them with advanced tools and modern technology, providing them with hands-on experience and keeping them ready to contain any possible emergencies. The tactical simulator will support in strengthening our firefighting capabilities even further,” said Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Operating Officer, BIAL.

New Delhi, 11th October 2021: Jaipur International Airport handed over to Adani Jaipur International Airport Limited (“AJIAL”), at 00:00 hours on 11th October 2021 (midnight of 10.10.2021) for Operations, Management and Development through Public Private Partnership mode for a lease period of 50 years. Through an international competitive bidding process, AEL had emerged as a successful bidder for the Jaipur International Airport and a Concession Agreement was signed by Airports Authority of India with AJIAL on 19th January 2021. As per the terms of the Concession Agreement, AJIAL shall be paying Airports Authority of India, a monthly concession fee of Rs.174 per embarking and disembarking domestic passenger. In case of international passengers, the concession fee shall be Rs.348 per embarking and disembarking passenger.

GREEN AIRPORT Driving sustainability is the key to future of Indian airports By Ashutosh Shukla In the globalised world, air travel is the single-most important medium for world connectivity, fostering global trade, transport, and travel. While it is true that the recent unprecedented challenges have stalled aviation sector for a considerable period, the world economies are already finding innovative ways to resume flying. As the countries round the world progress into more evolved economies, air travel will be more dynamic and entail more complexities. There will be more people travelling than ever before. More complex models of flight travel will come into play. As increasing travel cost for the long-term may not be a pro-business solution, aviation companies will look for more cost-effective models of facilitating air travels while making their services more accessible for the masses. While the sector and the world navigate through the current challenge, there’s an even bigger problem staring at us in the form of climate change. Therefore, like all sectors, sustainability is one of the most important aspects of the future of aviation sector. The global aviation industry produces 2 per cent of all human induced carbon dioxide emissions in the world, while it amounts to 12 per cent of CO2 emissions from all transport sectors. Contrary to popular perception, it is not the airplanes that are so much a cause for concern. Today, jet aircrafts are 80 per cent more efficient than the first jets of 1960. There has been good success in identification of sustainable aviation fuels. With 82 per cent occupancy, which is greater than other modes of transport of the world, the latest airplanes use less than 3 litres of jet fuel per 100 passenger kilometers. The greater challenge lies in the airports itself. Being huge energy users, large airports can daily consume equivalent electricity and thermal energy as that of a small city of 100,000 people. Amidst growing complexities and footfalls of air travel, it’s the airports which have to undertake a major transformation not only to achieve sustainability objectives. Green Initiatives at the Indian Airports: Apart from various private airports in India which has been recognized by global bodies for their green initiatives, there have been significant measures initiated by Airport Authority of India (AAI), which achieved Airport Carbon Accreditation “Level-2: Reduction” certificates from ACI for four of its Airports last year. Furthermore, AAI has implemented several other measures, including energy audits, invested in solar power plant installations, LED light installations, so on and so forth, across various airports. However, to progress towards the airports of the future, it is essential that India works towards Airport 4.0. Energy utilization and building in operational efficiencies as two of the most important factors towards sustainability. The airports of today need to adopt advance technologies, automation, and big data for a more integrated, energy efficient and connected ecosystems while developing more decarbonized, sustainable and decentralized infrastructure. While Indian airports are moving towards green energy, the integration of microgrids would be a major move in bringing about the transformation. While relatively new to the aviation sector, microgrids have been tremendously successful in data centers, major healthcare facilities, and commercial buildings. Armed with self-contained electrical networks, microgrids empower airports on-site power management capabilities. The solution can be integrated with linear, conventional sources of power as well as with more dynamic renewable energy sources. Backed by distributed energy resources management capabilities, microgrids can optimize energy utilization and reduce energy wastage, especially for renewable energy sources with activating on-site storage facilities. Furthermore, they employ advance features to balance the supply and demand and ensure power continuity during outages, thereby providing cost saving and energy security. Resource to Airport 4.0: By investing into extensive digitization of the entire airport value chain and infrastructure management, Airport 4.0 will take the Indian aviation sector towards greater resource efficiency while taking it closer to larger sustainability objectives such as carbon neutrality in the coming decades. This can be made a reality by leveraging IoT, AI and data analytics and strengthening airports with end-to-end digital solutions. In the decades to follow, sustainability will become increasingly crucial and leveraging new age technologies will be increasingly essential. The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the aviation sector. It has only put spotlight on the urgency to adopt automation and digitalisation of the airport management and operations. For the future of Indian airports, the transformation must begin now, and en-route to Airport 4.0, achieving sustainability will be the key for a successful transformation. (The feature is written by Mr. Ashutosh Shukla, Director-Transportation & Mobility at SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC India. Views presented are personal.)

17th Sept, 2021, New Delhi As the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) surpasses 30,000 vaccine doses administered at the Airport recently, a clear trend has emerged: more and more foreign travelers are making vaccination a part of their visit to San Francisco. Known as “vaccine tourism,” this concept represents the fastest-growing category of visitors to the SFO Medical Clinic, where the free Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine is administered. At present, 80% of new vaccine appointments at SFO are coming from non-US citizens, and over 1,000 doses have already been administered to visitors from 58 countries around the world. “This trend truly represents a win-win situation for all,” said Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. “It ensures that vaccines doses do not go unused by making them available to those who may have trouble accessing it in their home country. It also stimulates travel and visitor spending for the Bay Area, and – most importantly – it helps protect against community spread of the virus. My thanks go out to the entire team for making this program a reality.” Since late May, the SFO Medical Clinic, located pre-security in the International Terminal, has been offering free single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines on an appointment basis. For more information, please visit:flysfo.com/travel-well/vaccination-site-sfo. SFO first offered vaccines onsite in February, when it partnered with the County of San Mateo to provide vaccines to health care workers and County residents over 65. The Airport converted one of its multi-level garages to serve as a drive-through vaccination facility. Over 26,500 doses were administered through this program. SFO also launched a vaccination clinic in early May, located in the International Terminal, which offered doses to airport workers, local residents, and travelers. This program was administered through a partnership with Safeway and administered almost 2,200 doses.

New Delhi, 02nd September 2021: M. Suresh has taken over the charge of Member (Air Navigation Services) at Airports Authority of India on 02ndSeptember 2021.Prior to this assignment, Shri Suresh was holding the charge of post of Executive Director (Aviation Safety) at Corporate Headquarters of AAI and discharging the strategic function of ensuring safety in aerodrome operation and air navigations services and developing &maintaining a safety management policy of AAI. Shri Suresh is an AirNavigation Service technical expert and has vast experience in planning, provision, operation & maintenance of CNS facilities, airport system facilities & information technology facilities at airports in India. He has been instrumental in the implementation of NOCAS Version-2, the Building Height Clearance Software for the public, SKY REV 360, NIC CPPP Training Program, e-Office deployment and the implementation of the Biometric Access Control project in AAI and many such initiatives. He has a rich experience of 25 years in AAI holding the posts of Airport Director for Madurai, Jammu and Goa Airport. He also held the posts of General Manager (Airport Licensing) and General Manager (IT) at CHQ. During this assignment, he was responsible for licensing of new airports and renewal of license of existing operational airportsas well ushering the development and usage of IT platforms in AAI. He also worked as Regional Executive Director (North East Region) and was responsible for planning, design of modern state-of-the-art environment-friendly airport terminals and airside infrastructure like runways, apron and their financial evaluation, regulatory clearances, tendering & award processes, etc. M. Suresh is an Engineering Graduate in Electronics and Communication with a Master of Business Administration (HR). He also holds an International Airport Professional – IAP degree accorded by Airports Council International and International Civil Aviation Organization.