Tag: flight

Three-hour runway shutdown at Patna airport spooks 12 flights, 2000 fliers

Source: hindustantimes.com

A three-hour suspension of operations after a fire tender got stuck near the runway at Patna airport on Wednesday afternoon forced the diversion of nine flights, delayed three others on the ground and held up the departure of other flights from Delhi, Mumbai and other airports affecting around 2000 passengers.

The fire tender had gone to extinguish a fire on the grass along the runway when it got stuck 22 metres from the runway edge, said an airport spokesperson.

The fire was caused after firecrackers were used to chase away birds which pose serious risk to aircraft. Airport authorities at Patna still use rudimentary methods to scare away birds from the runway.

“A crash fire tender (CFT) was immediately sent to the site to extinguish the fire. After extinguishing the fire, the CFT got stuck in the area possibly due to soft surface because of overnight rain,” the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said in a statement later in the evening.

“The CFT was removed with help of cranes and other earth moving equipment, available at the ongoing new airport terminal building project construction site,” the statement added.

All incoming flights to Patna were diverted between 12.30pm and 3.16pm. Air operation was shut from 12.10 pm, when the Air Traffic Control (ATC) spotted the fire in the grass, and restored at 3.40 pm. The AAI issued notice to airmen (NOTAM) for temporary runway closure from 1.10 to 3.30 pm.

Among the flights diverted were four of IndiGo, two each of GoAir and of Spice Jet and one non-schedule charter flight of Saraya Aviation.

Three flights were diverted to Varanasi, and two each to Lucknow, Kolkata and Ranchi.

Among the flights diverted to Varanasi were IndiGo 6E-811 flight from Kolkata to Patna; Saraya Aviation’s VTEJZ flight from Delhi to Patna; and SpiceJet’s SG-6258 from Bengaluru to Patna.

Those diverted to Ranchi included IndiGo’s 6E-485 from Bengaluru to Patna and GoAir’s G8-2511 from Delhi to Patna. IndiGo’s 6E-6126 from Delhi to Patna and SpiceJet’s SG 954 from Ahmedabad to Patna were diverted to Lucknow. Similarly, GoAir’s G8-131 from Delhi to Patna and IndiGo’s 6E-787 from Mumbai to Patna were diverted to Kolkata.

GoAir’s G8-378 to Bangalore, Air India’s AI-410 and IndiGo’s 6E-2325, both bound for Delhi were delayed at the airport for more than three hours.

Interestingly, air traffic controllers had given IndiGo’s flight to Delhi the clearance for takeoff, but the pilot decided against it as it was fraught with risk. The pilots returned to the parking bay from runway 07 after which the AAI sought NOTAM for temporary closure of runway.

The AAI’s decision to send the CFT, which weighs around 37 tonne within 22 metres of the runway’s edge on unmetalled surface especially after Patna registered 94.4 mm rainfall on Tuesday evening, has also come under the scanner since the fire engine can easily fight a blaze from a distance of almost 90 metres.

Smoking in Bengaluru-Ranchi flight gets Jharkhand man deplaned

Source: hindustantimes.com

A Jharkhand resident has been arrested and faces up to 3 months jail or Rs one lakh fine for allegedly smoking inside the lavatory of a Ranchi bound flight. Deepak Kumar Sharma, a resident of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand was deplaned from an IndiGo airlines flight (6E 485) and handed over to the police on Friday.

A smoke alarm inside the aircraft went off, blowing the lid of Sharma’s illegal conduct, when the Airbus 320 aircraft enroute Ranchi landed at Patna around 2.30 pm, police said.

The passenger was first handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), tasked with airport security, before he was handed over to the airport police station that charged him with smoking inside the aircraft, said Garima Mallik, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna.

The Police were considering if Sharma had to be charged under the non-bailable section of the relevant act, SHO of airport police station, Jaishankar Prasad said seniors were being consulted on the matter while Patna SSP said non-bailable section had not been invoked so far.

The incident raises questions over the airport security which shouldn’t have allowed the accused to pass through with a matchbox or a cigarette lighter.

According to airport sources, the accused could end up paying a penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh or spend up to three months in jail for risking security inside aircraft.

Section 25 of the Aircraft Act states, “The owner or the operator and the pilot-in-command of every aircraft registered in India, shall exhibit or cause to be exhibited in prominent place(s) in the aircraft, notice(s) stating where and to what extent smoking is prohibited or permitted therein. No person shall smoke: (a) in any part of an aircraft or in its vicinity, in which a notice is displayed indicating that smoking is prohibited. (b) Anywhere in an aircraft during take-off, landing or refuelling or during a period in which a notice is temporarily displayed indicating that smoking is prohibited.”

Now fly to Varanasi, Gaya Buddhist circuit in India at affordable rates; check IndiGo flight offers

Source: financialexpress.com

From August, you can fly to pilgrim towns of Varanasi and Gaya, Buddhist circuit in affordable rates! IndiGo has announced 12 non-stop daily and weekly flights to boost air connectivity to Varanasi and Gaya. Now you can travel to Gaya Airport or Bodhgaya International Airport (GAY) and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi (VNS) from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata (CCU) and Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport (PAT).

IndiGo flight offers, ticket fares, timings

The 12 non-stop daily and weekly flights will start from August 8. Bookings for these IndiGo flights have opened.

Flight number 6E 7713 will depart from Kolkata on a daily basis at 7 am and will reach Gaya at 8.35 am. The fare of the flight will Rs 1999. Flight number 6E 7714 will leave from Gaya at 9.05 am and arrive in Kolkata at 10.30 am. The ticket price is Rs 1999. This flight won’t be available on Sunday. Flight number 6E 7715 will depart from Kolkata at 11.05 am and will reach Gaya at 12.25 pm. Ticket fare is Rs 1999 and won’t be available on Sunday. There is a weekly flight from Gaya to Varanasi and Varanasi to Gaya. The flight will depart from Gaya at 9.30 am and reach Varanasi at 10.30 am. The fare of the flight is Rs 1499. The direct flight from Varanasi will leave at 11.25 am and reach Gaya at 12.25. The ticket for this flight will cost you Rs 1499. These two flights connecting Gaya and Varanasi will be available only on Sunday.

There are also two daily flights connecting Gaya and Varanasi. One will depart from Gaya at 12.45 pm and will reach Varanasi at 1.45 pm. The return flight from Varanasi will depart at 2.15 pm and will reach Gaya at 3 pm. These fares of these two flights are Rs 1499 per ticket.

Another daily flight from Gaya will take off at 3.20 pm and reach Kolkata at 4.40 pm. Fare of a ticket is fixed at Rs 1999.

A daily flight from Kolkata will leave at 5.25 pm and reach Patna at 7 pm. This flight will cost you Rs 1826. The return flight from Patna will depart at 7.30 pm and reach Kolkata at 9.05 pm. This flight will cost you Rs 1737.

A flight from Kolkata will take off at 9.35 PM and will arrive in Varanasi at 11.35 pm. This flight will cost you Rs 2594. The return flight from Varanasi will depart at 11.55 pm and reach Kolkata at 1.45 am. This flight will cost you Rs 2523.

“As a part of our endeavour to enhance domestic connectivity, our ATR fleet helps us serve regional operations efficiently. We are delighted to have launched these flights on the Buddhist circuit, which not only provide more travel options to customers, but also enable people to come closer to Indian history and spirituality. These flights will also help attract new tourist arrivals from around South East Asia, where IndiGo is adding a number of new routes into Kolkata over the next few months, including services from Vietnam, Hong Kong, and China,” Chief Commercial Officer of IndiGo William Boulter said. “With the introduction of these flights, we will continue to provide the flexibility of choice to our customers with a consistent on-time, affordable, courteous and hassle-free flying experience,” Boulter said.