Global News Post: Travel

Indian Railway Police Throw Old Couple Off Moving Train, Woman Dead

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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW DELHI, India   (NNN-Bernama) -- In a shocking incident, an
elderly woman was killed and her husband wounded when the couple was thrown out
of a moving train by government railway police (GRP) personnel for boarding the
wrong train, said a report. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The incident occurred on Feb 27, around 10 am at Muzaffarnagar,
Uttar Pradesh state when the elderly couple, Rajeshwar Tyagi and his wife
Santosh, both above 70 years old, by mistake, boarded the Shatabdi Express,
Indo-Asian News Service reported. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to the report, Sub-inspector Ram Chandar and
constable Subhash of the GRP asked the couple where they were headed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The couple responded that they were on their way to <st1:city w:st="on">Saharanpur</st1:city>, which is 58 km from Muzaffarnagar, only to be
told that they were on the Shatabdi Express, which does not halt at <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Saharanpur</st1:place></st1:city>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The railway police asked the elderly couple to deboard,
something, they pleaded; they could not do as the train had gathered speed by
then. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Incensed, the policemen opened the door of the compartment and
pushed the old couple out said the report. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The woman was hit by a train moving on a parallel track and
died instantly, while the man received minor injuries on the fall. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A case against the two GRP policemen was registered at the
Muzaffarnagar railway station. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"We have sent the body of the deceased woman for autopsy.
Based on the statement of Rajeshwar Tyagi, we have lodged a case against the
two policemen," a GRP official told the news agency. -- NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Indian Railway Police Throw Old Couple Off Moving Train, Woman Dead

NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- In a shocking incident, an elderly woman was killed and her husband wounded when the couple was t...

Indian Passenger Plane Makes Detour after Bomb Scare

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW
DELHI, India   (NNN-Xinhua) -- An Indian passenger plane of
Go Air air company made an emergency detour after a bomb scare was reported,
said local TV channel Times Now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The
plane returned to <st1:city w:st="on">Bombay</st1:city> on its way to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Delhi</st1:place></st1:city> and all its
passengers were deplaned, said the report.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Police
are checking the plane which was taken to an isolated bay of the Mumbai Shivaji
international airport. -- NNN-XINHUA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Indian Passenger Plane Makes Detour after Bomb Scare

NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Xinhua) -- An Indian passenger plane of Go Air air company made an emergency detour after a bomb scare was repo...

Indian Railways Signs MOU with Spain on High Speed Rail Service

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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NEW
DELHI  (NNN-Bernama) -- Indian Railways
is exploring possibilities of introducing bullet train service and improving
safety features in train operations in the country with Spain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">A
memorandum of understanding (MoU) on technical cooperation in the rail sector
was signed on Friday by Railway Minister C P Joshi and visiting <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country> Minister
of Public Works and Transport Ana Pastor Julian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Spain</span></st1:place></st1:country><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> has a modern railway network linking all
major towns and cities, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Under
the agreement, both countries will promote cooperation and information exchange
in the areas of high speed railway, upgrading speed of passenger trains,
improving safety of train operations, maintenance of technologies for track,
bridges, tunnels and power supply systems, among others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Indian
Railways is in the process of setting up a high-speed rail authority to run
trains at 300 km/hour speed on seven selected routes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">"We
have plans to develop high-speed train service in the country and we are
currently in the process of carrying out pre-feasibility study on seven
identified corridors," an official said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Routes
that have been identified for proposed bullet train service are
Pune-Mumbai-Ahmedabad (650 km), Delhi-Chandigarh-Amritsar (450km),
Delhi-Lucknow-Patna (991 km), Hyderabad-Chennai (644km),
Chennai-Bangalore-Thiruvanthapuram (850 km) and Delhi-Jaipur-Jodhpur (591 km).
--NNN- BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Indian Railways Signs MOU with Spain on High Speed Rail Service

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- Indian Railways is exploring possibilities of introducing bullet train service and improving safety featu...

INDIA: Declining Rupee, Inconsistent Airfare, a Pain for Travel Industry

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">NEW DELHI  (NNN-Bernama) -- The tourism sector is taking a direct brunt from the dip in the Indian Rupee and the troubled aviation sector in India is not helping the situation either, says Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) President Iqbal Mulla.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The death of India's leading leisure travel service provider Raj Travels' owner, Lalit Sheth, recently, just goes to show the current state of the industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"His death was shocking, Sheth was known for creating the all-inclusive overseas tour packages. It is sad to lose an industry partner in such tragic circumstances," he told Bernama in an e-mail interview.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sheth, a well-known travel guru, allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the Bandra Worli Sea-Link Bridge in Central Mumbai due to financial problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mulla said the declining Rupee, which fell to an all-time low of 57.32 against the US dollar in late June, was definitely impacting the travel and tourism industry.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Fares are increasing for both domestic and international routes. So, both outbound and inbound tours are affected," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Asked if Sheth's case could have been an isolated one, Mulla said:"No. The industry as a whole is feeling it, as foreign exchange plays a major role." <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported on Aug 2, that all markets, except India, showed an expansion in demand in June compared with the previous year.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">India's domestic travel fell 0.7 per cent in June even as capacity expanded by 4.5 per cent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The load factor was 74.2 per cent. This is the second month of weak year-on-year growth for India, and the growth trend continues to be flat since the beginning of 2012, said IATA.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">India's aviation industry has been in massive turbulence with heavy losses and debts, resulting in pilot strikes due to unpaid salaries. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There seems to be no end to this with the government sitting idle on plans to liberalise the industry, such as allowing foreign airlines to take up 49 per cent stake in domestic airline companies.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Inconsistent airfares and web parity, weekly payment being thrust upon the travel agencies, reduction of commission every now and then is the other major issues dogging our trade," he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Reduction in commissions is hurting the business a major way, Mulla said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TAAI, he said, has been highlighting the issues, which included flight delays, cancellation and low-quality hotels in the country, to the relevant authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, the issues remain and continue to haunt the industry. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He said among the solutions that were put forward to the authorities were to accorded tourism a 'National Priority'.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Proposals also included the establishment of a National Commission on Tourism headed by the Prime Minister and tourism infrastructure status for Hotels, Convention Centers and Airlines.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is also a proposal to accord exporter status and benefits given to other exporters to the travel & tourism industry and related sectors, recognized by the Ministry of Tourism, which rakes in foreign exchange/Indian Rupees to the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Adequate infrastructure, which is another challenge for the industry, has to be met with a mutually acceptable Public Private Partnership model approved by the cabinet and the state governments.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Connectivity to most frequented tourist destinations need immediate attention," Mulla said, adding that the government should re-look at fiscal measures and taxation, such as faster implementation of Goods and Services Tax at source.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He said, GST should cover all interstate taxes on vehicle, road tax and toll tax to encourage seamless interstate travel for tourism and lastly creation of National Tourism Board with private sector involvement, he added. --NNN- BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

INDIA: Declining Rupee, Inconsistent Airfare, a Pain for Travel Industry

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- The tourism sector is taking a direct brunt from the dip in the Indian Rupee and the troubled aviation sector ...

JET Airways Supports Indian Govt.’s Plan to Allow FDIs in Industry

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) –- India’s biggest carrier by market share, Jet Airways, supports the government’s plan to allow foreign direct investments (FDIs) of up to 49 per cent by a foreign carrier</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We support all the government policies," its chairman, Naresh Goyal, told reporters on the sidelines of an interactive session on "Building the Future of Indian Aviation", by the Confederation of Indian Industry here</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">At present, FDIs of up to 49 per cent are permitted in India’s airline sector but foreign carriers are not allowed to buy equity due to security reasons</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s director general and chief executive officer, Tony Tyler, acknowledged that allowing foreign airlines to enter the market was an important step forward</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, he pointed out that investors would not be keen if problems faced by India's aviation industry were not addressed</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">India’s aviation sector is in a multi-faceted crisis," he said, adding "if critical problems were not comprehensively addressed, investors would not be lining up to put their cash in Indian airlines</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>."</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Under current circumstances, investors can’t see how they would ever enjoy a return</span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; direction: ltr; line-height: 12.75pt; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span dir="RTL"></span>"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">India needs policies to reduce the tax burden on aviation, lower external costs and ensure adequate infrastructure to meet growing demand," said Tyler. --NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

JET Airways Supports Indian Govt.’s Plan to Allow FDIs in Industry

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) –- India’s biggest carrier by market share, Jet Airways, supports the government’s plan to allow foreign direct i...

INDIA: Smaller Towns Will Soon Get Air Connectivity

INDIA: Smaller Towns Will Soon Get Air Connectivity

NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- India is in the process of providing air connectivity to remote and interior areas of the country includ...

India: New Timings for Booking Tatkal Tickets from 10th July 2012

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center; unicode-bidi: embed;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Railway Administration Making Local Arrangements to Implement New Tatkal Booking Timings<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">NEW DELHI (PIB) --- The Ministry of Railways has further streamlined the delivery of tickets under Tatkal Scheme and the new amendment in the scheme will come into effect from tomorrow i.e. 10th July 2012 (Tuesday). Under the new amendment the booking of Tatkal tickets will start at 10.00 hours on the previous day of journey from train originating station instead of 0800 hours at present. For example, if a train is to depart from the originating station on the 2nd of the month, the Tatkal quota booking both through Internet (IRCTC Website) and reservation counters for that particular train shall open at 1000 hours on the 1st of the month. In addition, it has also been decided that no authorised agents, including agents of IRCTC and RTSAs/RTAs will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets from 1000 hours to 1200 hours from counters as well as from Internet. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the Zonal Railway and the Divisional Railway level, the local Railway administration is also making arrangements at the reservation counters for orderly implementation of the amendment in the scheme like segregation of Tatkal buyers through separate queues, separate counters etc. as per the local requirement and feasibility. The travelling public is being informed about the new arrangements through Press Releases, Press Advertisements, Announcements and Notice Boards. Moreover, installation of CCTVs in all major booking centres to monitor any unusual activities, inspection of the reservation centres by the senior officers, display of helpline numbers for complaints, raids by the vigilance squads are some of the measures being taken to prevent misuse of Tatkal facility. The requirement of indicating Mobile number of the passenger in the application form is also being insisted to cross verify the genuineness of the passenger. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These new measures are in addition to the previously taken measures to revamp Tatkal system from November 2011. In November 2011, the following measures were introduced to reduce/minimize the possibility of booking of tickets by touts/miscreants and which are still continuing: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="LTR"></span>1.       Advance Reservation Period of Tatkal scheme was reduced from two days excluding the day of journey to one day excluding the day of journey. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2.       Refunds are not granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets except in case of special circumstances like late running of train by more than three hours, cancellation of trains etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3.      Duplicate Tatkal tickets are not issued under normal circumstances. In exceptional cases Duplicate Tatkal tickets can be issued on payment of full fare including Tatkal charges. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4.       Tatkal tickets are issued only on production of self attested photocopy of one of the 9 prescribed proofs of Identity mentioned in the scheme, at the computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter. While booking e-ticket, the passenger has to indicate the number of identity card in the system. The passenger is required to carry the same proof of Identity during the journey. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.      A restriction of booking of a maximum of four passengers per PNR on Tatkal ticket has been imposed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking of Ministry of Railways which manages Railways e-ticketing website namely www.irctc.co.in has also implemented following additional steps to streamline Tatkal ticket bookings: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span dir="LTR"></span>1.   High capacity Database servers have been installed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2.   Internet Bandwidth has been increased from 344 mbps to 450 mbps <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3.   Single user registration on one e-mail ID with email verification has been implemented. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4.  Mobile validation of users and single user registration on one mobile number has been implemented. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5.  Web service agents have been permitted to book only one Tatkal ticket per train per day on internet after 12.00 A.M. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">6.  Individual users are permitted to book only two tickets between 10.00 A.M. to 12.00 A.M. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">7.  Only two tickets can be booked per IP address between 10-12 AM. IP address check has helped in preventing multiple bookings from same office complex/internet café etc. This also helps in facilitating bookings by genuine users and prevents bookings for commercial gains. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">8.  Single session per user ID check has been implemented. With this step, a user on irctc.co.in will be able to open his account for booking of e-tickets only once. Multiple sessions with single user ID cannot be opened thereby enabling maximum users to access website and reduce congestion. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">9.       Captcha has been put and strengthened for booking in the ‘Plan My Travel’ to check fraudulent booking through automation software. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(CAPTCHAs is a technology used in attempts to prevent automated software from performing actions which degrade the quality of service of a given system)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">10.  Quick Book Option and Cash Cards option has been stopped between 10.00 A.M. to 12.00 A.M. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">11.  An IT-Anti Fraud Squad has been created at Internet Ticketing Centre to detect cases of fraud and fraudulent activity and also for constant cyberspace surveillance to detect possible threats to the system. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">12. Upon receipt of complaint against the sub-agent, the user –id is deactivated and the sub-agent is black-listed. The details of the black-listed agent are put on the IRCTC website. All the Principal Agents have been instructed not to take on such black-listed agents. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">13. For any complaint, against the e-ticket agents, one may contact agentcomplaint@irctc.co.in (011-23745962) or care@irctc.co.in (011-39340000) <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">14.  The Ministry of Railways has also initiated steps to augment e-ticket handling capacity of its website through short term and long term measures. Both IRCTC and CRIS are working jointly in this direction. Due to these steps, the present e-ticket capacity will increase from existing about 3.5 lakh bookings to around 5 lakh bookings per day in about four months period in the short term which will further be increased to about 8 lakh bookings per day in the long term plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

India: New Timings for Booking Tatkal Tickets from 10th July 2012

Railway Administration Making Local Arrangements to Implement New Tatkal Booking Timings NEW DELHI (PIB) --- The Ministry of Railways ha...

Just Ended Air India Pilots' Strike Second Longest

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NEW DELHI (NNN-PTI) -- The 58-day-long pilots' strike in Air India, which was called off late Tuesday night, was the second longest since the national carrier came into existence in 1946, after a 90-day strike by cockpit crew 38 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While the strike by its pilots in 1974 to protest cost cutting measures by the airline after a massive hike in fuel prices went on for 90 days, a strike by Air India's flight engineers had lasted 56 days in 1993-94.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Before the 1993-94 stir, the second longest strike was in erstwhile Indian Airlines whose pilots went on a five-week agitation in 1991-92 demanding a hike in wages and allowances.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This time, Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG), which represents about 450 pilots of the merged national carrier who mainly operate long-haul, wide-body planes, had struck work since May 7 over career progression issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The latest strike, which also saw pilots going on protest fast in Delhi and Mumbai from June 24, was the longest since the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines in 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There have been several strikes since the merger so far, with a major one by Indian Commercial Pilots Association, representing the erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots, lasting 11 days last year to demand pay parity with their IPG colleagues.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In May 2010, Air India's biggest union, Air Corporation Employees' Union, and Air India Aircraft Engineers' Association had struck work, leading to the sacking of 56 staffers and de-recognition of both these unions. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During the latest strike, IPG had demanded that training on the Boeing 787 Dreamliners be restricted to long-haul pilots belonging to the erstwhile Air India and not to those from the former Indian Airlines, saying it would block their career progression chances.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Following this strike, Air India management sacked 101 pilots and de-recognised IPG for leading the agitation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The two state-run carriers were merged in 2007 forming a new entity called National Aviation Company of India Limited, which was later renamed as Air India Limited.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The airline and the government are now proceeding with the implementation of the Justice D M Dharmadhikari Committee's recommendations to address all issues relating to human integration, pay parity and career progression.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In order to prevent any further industrial action by any section of its 27,000 employees, Air India has held and is planning to hold more rounds of negotiations with all unions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The brand, Air India Limited, had come into existence on July 29, 1946, when Tata Air Lines headed by J R D Tata was converted into a public company.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On August 3, 1947, 12 days before India's independence, Air India carried the Indian flag for the first time when it flew Vijayalakshmi Pandit, first Indian Ambassador to the USSR, to Moscow in a Douglas DC-3 aircraft.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Air India International was incorporated on March 8, 1948. -- NNN-PTI<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Just Ended Air India Pilots' Strike Second Longest

NEW DELHI (NNN-PTI) -- The 58-day-long pilots' strike in Air India, which was called off late Tuesday night, was the second longest si...

India: Railways Takes Steps to Combat Misuse of Tatkal (Instant) Tickets

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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Muniyappa Convenes a Review Meeting of Senior Railway Officials to Further Streamline Tatkal Scheme<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">NEW DELHI (PIB) --- The Minister of State for Railways,  K. H. Muniyappa said that with the recent steep hike in the fares of the airlines, the demand and supply gap for Railway tickets have substantially increased which Railways is trying its best to reduce through various measures.  Muniyappa said this during his meeting of senior officers of Railways Board here today to review the progress of the steps taken to combat some cases of black marketing and purchase of railway tickets by touts. Member Traffic, Railway Board, Managing Director, IRCTC, Additional Member (Commercial) and other senior officers of Railway Board were present at the meeting. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Muniyappa said that that the Indian Railways have been regularly monitoring the activities of the agents, touts and other individuals carrying out such activities and strict action has been initiated. The Minister said that every day on an average of around 15 lakh Railway tickets are being sold through 8838 passenger reservation ticket counters and the e-ticketing website through IRCTC, out of which the Tatkal tickets constitutes around 1.70 lakh. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Muniyappa said that the Railways had introduced the Tatkal scheme to facilitate the bonafide passengers to travel by train at short notice. However, there are some reports of this facility being misused by some persons for pecuniary and personal gains, thereby defeating the very purpose of the scheme. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Minister further said that some of the major problems being faced by the Railways are large scale sale of tickets within a short period in the counters, deployment of proxies to procure tickets at counters etc. To prevent misuse of the facility, Railways have taken steps like debarring the agents to book tickets during the first two hours, installation of CCTVs in all major booking centres to monitor the movement of touts, non issuance of duplicate in lieu of the lost Tatkal tickets and non-refund on cancellation of unused Tatkal tickets. The requirement of indicating Mobile number of the passenger in the application form is also being insisted to cross verify the genuineness of the passenger. Besides these measures, attaching the photo copy of identity proof of passenger has been made mandatory for booking of Tatkal tickets and carrying of ID card have also been made compulsory for all passengers of AC classes. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In addition, it has further been decided to change the time of booking of Tatkal tickets at the counters from existing 8.00 A.M. to 10.00 A.M. with effect from 10th July, 2012 to avoid congestion in the morning hours at counters for the normal advance booking passengers. The restriction on the agents for Tatkal tickets booking during the first two hours shall also continue. The Minister said that these steps have started yielding results. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Minister also said that surprise inspections and preventive checks are being conducted regularly at reservation centres to contain the activities of the unauthorized agents and touts. These checks are intensified during peak/rush period and festival seasons. The department has carried out around 82,000; 61,000; and 65,000 surprise checks during 2009-10 to 2011-12, said the Minister. Against these surprise checks, around 4200 touts were apprehended and an amount of around Rs. 63,68,000/- were realized as fine and around 2000 persons were convicted. The connivance of around 170 Railway officers were also found during the above surprise checks against whom departmental actions were initiated which resulted in imposing of various penalties upon 102 officials including major penalties like removal, reversion from service etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Minister said that IRCTC, a public sector undertaking of the Ministry of Railways which handles ticketing website, has also taken several steps to prevent touts and unauthorized agents from their illegal activities. Several technological innovations like increase in the bandwidth of internet, augmenting E-Ticketing software licences, technical evaluation of mobile based technology etc. are regularly being undertaken to cope up the demand and minimize the misuse of the system by unscrupulous people, added the Minister. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Minister informed that the Ministry of Railways has also initiated steps to augment e-ticket handling capacity of its website through short term and long term measures. Due to these steps, the present capacity will increase from existing about 3.5 lakh bookings to around 5 lakh bookings per day in about four months period in the short term which will further be increased to about 8 lakh bookings per day in the long term plan. He informed that both IRCTC and CRIS are working jointly in this direction. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Muniyappa said that wide publicity is being given at regular basis both through the print and electronic media appealing the general public to purchase ticket only from authorized sources so as to prevent prosecution and penalty. He appealed to the general public to co-operate with the Railways to make the system work successfully.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

India: Railways Takes Steps to Combat Misuse of Tatkal (Instant) Tickets

Muniyappa Convenes a Review Meeting of Senior Railway Officials to Further Streamline Tatkal Scheme NEW DELHI (PIB) --- The Minister of...

Indian Cities of Delhi, Chennai to Get Aviation Hubs

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">NEW DELHI, India <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(NNN-Bernama) - To turn India into an aviation hub by expanding regional and international connectivity, the government on Wednesday decided to operationalise airline hubs at capital Delhi and south Indian Chennai city by the next fiscal year. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">An airline policy would be finalised in this regard, Press Trust of India reported. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The policy is being formulated due to fear of loss of outbound air traffic from India to adjoining airports such as Dubai and Singapore. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Under the policy, a series of steps are entailed which include improvement of connectivity and making visa processing easier to enable more passengers to travel from India to destinations in Europe and America <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To further boost aviation infrastructure, the government decided to award three new greenfield projects at Navi Mumbai, Goa and Kannur in the financial year 2013. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">By July-end, additional Public Private Partnership projects would be finalised for 10-12 existing airports and for 10-12 greenfield airports which will be awarded during the year. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lucknow, Varanasi, Coimbatore, Trichy and Gaya cities are the likely locations where three to four international airports could be declared this year. -- NNN-BERNAMA <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Indian Cities of Delhi, Chennai to Get Aviation Hubs

NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Bernama) - To turn India into an aviation hub by expanding regional and international connectivity, the governme...

Solar Plane Soars from Europe to Africa

Solar Plane Soars from Europe to Africa

By Michael Lipin A Swiss adventurer is flying an experimental solar-powered plane from southern Europe toward northern Africa in a bid to...

INDIA: DGCA Warns Airlines against Hiking Fares beyond Their Band

INDIA: DGCA Warns Airlines against Hiking Fares beyond Their Band

NEW DELHI (NNN-PTI): Noting that private airlines have suddenly raised fares by up to 20 per cent on certain sectors in view of Air India...

If Air India Pilots End Stir, Govt. Willing to Discuss All Issues: Ajit

If Air India Pilots End Stir, Govt. Willing to Discuss All Issues: Ajit

NEW DELHI (NNN-PTI): Holding that nobody should maintain a stubborn stand, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said if the striking Air ...

Pilot Strike, Indian Govt Should Step in with Firm Decision

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">  <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- India's aviation sector may just be heading for a very hard landing if the government does not step in with a firm decision to restore the situation as Kingfisher Airlines' pilots join their Air India counterparts to call in sick leave. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Pilot strike and subsequent cancellation of flights is not acceptable especially for business travellers," said 43-year old frequent business traveler Abdul Salahudeen. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Given that Air India is a flag carrier, the government should step in and take a firm decision before things get out of control, he told Bernama when met at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Although I am a frequent traveller, this is my first time using Air India. The news of pilot strike and flight cancellation is shocking and I have never experienced this before. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"I choose Air India because of the timing. The news is also disturbing as I arrived today and leaving tomorrow to attend an important meeting on Saturday. I hope my flight back will not be affected," said Salahudeen, who is a Singaporean. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, Gaurav Ganguly, 25, said the strike would not impact travellers as long as the airlines make proper arrangements for the affected passengers. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"I am leaving for Oman today. I am on Air India but my flight is not affected," he said, adding that the airlines should take responsibility and proactive measures to keep passengers informed of changes. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"The airlines should give adequate information to passengers and not let them find out about flight cancellations only when they get to the airport," said Ganguly who works in Oman. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some stranded and angry passengers were even stopped from talking to this reporter by Air India officers. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Times of India reported that Air India International has 800 pilots on its payroll and between 450 and 500 of them were members of the derecognized Indian <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pilots' Guild (IPG). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">About 300-350 IPG members have been reporting sick since Monday night. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"We may seemingly have adequate pilots to operate all flights for some time. But that would mean exhausting their flight time duty limitations in a week or 10 days. So operating the full schedule is not possible," said an official. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The number of flight cancellations has gone up significantly on Thursday and passenger woes are mounting, said the English daily. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moreover, other employees of Air India are fuming as this agitation might affect their chance of getting the Rs30,000 crore (US$5 billion) bailout required desperately for the airlines' survival. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It also reported that a majority of Kingfisher Airlines' pilots, largely based in Delhi, have refused to operate flights. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is believed that Kingfisher owes its pilots salaries since January while Air India owes its employees Rs124 crores (US$23.5 million) in salaries. --NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Pilot Strike, Indian Govt Should Step in with Firm Decision

NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- India's aviation sector may just be heading for a very hard landing if the government does not st...

Etihad Airways to Launch Flights to Indian City of Ahmedabad

Etihad Airways to Launch Flights to Indian City of Ahmedabad

DUBAI (NNN-Bernama) -- Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced that the airline will start flying to Ahmedabad in November, Press...

Indian Court Restrains Pilots of Air India from Going on Strike

Indian Court Restrains Pilots of Air India from Going on Strike

NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Xinhua) -- The Delhi High Court Wednesday restrained pilots of India's national carrier Air India from going ...

Indonesian Authorities Search for Missing Russian Plane

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Indonesia has deployed search and rescue teams to a mountainous area near Jakarta, in search of a Russian jetliner that disappeared from radar Wednesday with at least 44 people on board.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The Jakarta Post newspaper quotes authorities as saying ground teams, including military units, were headed from the capital to remote Mount Salak, after search helicopters encountered bad weather and were forced to return to base.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Authorities say the Sukhoi Superjet 100 vanished while on a demonstration flight shortly after 2 p.m. local time. All passengers were described as invited guests. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Indonesia's transport ministry said the 100-seat, mid-range jetliner was on the second of two demonstration flights when it disappeared in the remote Bogor region.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Officials said the pilots had requested permission to descend from 3,000 to 1,800 meters shortly before radio contact was lost. Mount Salak is 2,200 meters high.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The Itar-Tass news agency said the newly-minted plane recently performed demonstrations in Central and South Asia, including flights in Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Burma. It also said the Superjet 100 had logged about 6,500 hours of flight time since its 2008 maiden launch.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">The jetliner is currently in use with Russia's largest carrier, Aeroflot, and the Armenian carrier, Armavia. ---VOA News</span><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div></div>

Indonesian Authorities Search for Missing Russian Plane

Indonesia has deployed search and rescue teams to a mountainous area near Jakarta, in search of a Russian jetliner that disappeared from ...

Air India Flights Cancelled After 100 Pilots Refused to Work

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">MUMBAI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- Four Air India international flights were cancelled from Delhi and Mumbai today after about 100 pilots refused to report for duty, Press Trust of India reported. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The airlines domestic operations, however, were unaffected. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">An Air India spokesperson said that the four flights servicing the routes of Delhi-Toronto, Delhi-Chicago, Mumbai-Newark and Mumbai-Hongkong via Delhi were cancelled due to unavailability of pilots. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A number of Air India pilots owing allegiance to Indian Pilots Guild were reportedly agitated over the rescheduling of Boeing 787 Dreamliner training programme, while some had threatened to go on strike yesterday following the failure of talks with the Air India management. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">"The management (Air India) has completely backtracked from what had been agreed upon in the last few days. We are left with no option but to intensify our displeasure," sources from the Indian Pilots Guild said. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Guild expects the number of pilots going on strike to increase to 250 to 300 by tomorrow, indicating flights operations could be hit severely in the coming days. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Earlier, the management held a meeting with the pilots in New Delhi in its bid to defuse the crisis. A section of pilots reported sick on Sat May 5, resulting in cancellation of one international flight and delaying another two. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">It is believed that during their meeting yesterday, the airline management told the pilots that they had "no reasons to go on strike" when the government had announced a bailout package for the national carrier. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In another report sent earlier BERNAMA reports: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">OVER 100 AIR INDIA PILOT ON STRIKE, 200 MORE MAY JOIN<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">NEW DELHI, India (NNN-Bernama) – Over 100 Air India pilots are on strike since midnight last night affecting some of the airlines’ international flights and the number might swell to 250. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The strike could cripple Air India's international operations just ahead of the peak summer holiday season that begins this weekend, The Economic Times reported. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The flag carrier cancelled Monday night-Tuesday morning's Mumbai-Newark, Delhi-Toronto and Delhi-Chicago flights. Among longhauls, only Delhi-New York is expected to operate early on Tuesday morning. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The ministry, toughening its stand, has warned that it will shut international flights of the airline if the strike snowballs and will take strict action against the agitating pilots. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The English daily said the strike started minutes after their talks with the airline management and aviation ministry failed on the issue of training for the Boeing-787 Dreamliner. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Air India owes its employees US$23.5 million in salary arrears. --NNN-BERNAMA<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Air India Flights Cancelled After 100 Pilots Refused to Work

MUMBAI, India (NNN-Bernama) -- Four Air India international flights were cancelled from Delhi and Mumbai today after about 100 pilots ...