Mangalore: New Terminal to be Functional in 10 days

MANGALORE, Jun 23 (The Hindu): Director of the Mangalore airport Peter Abraham has said that the new integrated terminal building of the airport will be opened for passenger traffic in the next 10 days.
Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday, a month after the May 22 crash of the Air India Express flight from Dubai, Abraham said that the opening of the new terminal was scheduled for June 1. “But the circumstances that prevailed in the aftermath of the crash prevented us from opening the terminal,” he said.
The date of commissioning would be decided by the local authorities in consultation with the regional headquarters of the Airports Authority of India at Chennai. The only aspect that was currently holding up the opening was the construction of a standby road, which would take another week, Mr. Abraham said.
The 360-m road, which would provide an alternate passage to the airport, is being built at the south-east end of the airport, abutting the now-abandoned Dakkan Hotel. Built at a cost of Rs. 35 lakh, this road will connect the airport to the Bajpe main road, via the Kenjar gram panchayat. This road will be used in emergencies only. Otherwise, it will remain closed.
ILS functional
The Instrument Landing System at the airport has been repaired and reinstalled. The ILS could not be used after the plane crashed into one of its crucial components on May 22. The ILS was re-commissioned on June 16, Mr. Abraham said.
Salvaging the wreck
There is still no clarity on when the wreckage of the plane will be removed from the crash site. While Mr. Abraham said that it was the responsibility of the airline to conduct the salvage, Station Manger of Air India Chellam Prasad said that the airline did not have the written clearance from the Airports Authority of India to go ahead. Mr. Abraham said that the airline was free to build a temporary shelter, next to the old engineering office near the new terminal building, whenever it wished.

Air travellers to be Compensated for Delayed, Cancelled Flight

New Delhi, Jun 21, (PTI): Air travellers would now be compensated for cancellation or delays in flights which have not been caused by situations like fog or any reason beyond the control of the airlines, if a new draft rule is implemented.
New rules detailing the conditions of compensation have been drafted by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which has invited comments from the public before finalising them.
The decision came in the wake of rapid expansion of air services on domestic and international routes and the necessity for the government to ensure appropriate protection for air travellers in case of flight disruptions, denied boarding, cancellations and delays without due notice to the passengers, an official spokesperson said.
As the distinction between scheduled and non-scheduled services was coming down, such protectionary measures would also be provided to passengers travelling on non-scheduled flights, like charters, also.
The new rules or the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) would bring the Indian aviation law in tandem with the Montreal Convention in regard to the liabilities of the airlines.
The operating airline would, however, be under no obligation if the cancellations and delays are caused by events beyond its control, like natural calamities or political instability.
Under the draft CAR, the financial compensation would be given only if the amount of tickets cost is higher than the compensation amount.
It would be Rs. 2,000 or the value of the ticket whichever is less for flights having a block time of up to and including one hour. Till two hours, the compensation would be Rs 3,000 or the value of the ticket whichever is less.
Similarly, if the delay is more than two hours, the amount would be Rs 4,000 or the value of the ticket whichever is less.
The draft rule provides that alternatively, the passenger would be offered the choice of a refund at the price it was purchased, a flight to the first point of departure and alternative transportation to the final destination wherever applicable.
Besides, the passengers shall be offered free of charge meals and refreshments and hotel accommodation, including transfers, when necessary.