The fixing of the User Development Fee {UDF) at Rs 375 for each
departing domestic passenger by the Centre has come as a surprise for
the GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) on Monday
evening.

GHIAL had earlier represented to Ministry of Civil Aviation to fix UDF around Rs 725.

Since Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had permitted the airport
operators to collect Rs 1,000 as User Development Fee (UDF) from
international passengers, the GHIAL was ready to scale down the
domestic UDF to Rs 725 per passenger.

The matter had been hanging fire for over two months. The UDF from
international passengers was being collected from June 11, 2008.

Sydney - The astonishing run of maintenance woes for Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd continues with a faulty rudder delaying a plane from London for 15 hours and an internal flight forced into an unscheduled landing because its toilets hadn't been emptied.

Qantas confirmed Monday that a "technical issue" with the rudder on a 747-400 had resulted in Sydney-bound passengers spending an extra night in London.

Almost as annoying for passengers was Sunday's impromptu stop in Adelaide after ground staff in Sydney forgot to empty toilet tanks on a flight that was bound for Perth.

"Four out of seven toilets were not flushing so for the comfort of our passengers we diverted to Adelaide," a Qantas spokesman said.

From 23rd August, 2008, Jet Airways will start its daily flights from Dubai to Mumbai and Delhi.

In the airline’s Gulf network, Dubai will be its sixth destination while second in UAE. Jet Airways’ Dubai flights will complement the airline’s daily services from various gateway points in India to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat and Doha.

The airline Virgin Blue will charge customers to check in baggage on discounted

The Indian Air Force today got the delivery of the first indigenously assembled Hawk MK-132 advanced jet trainer by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Air Chief Marshal, F Major was the one who was formally handed over the aircraft.

By the handing over the HAL’s first Adour powered Hawk AJT at Bangalore, it is for sure that there would the beginning of a new chapter for the public sector company engaged in defense production.

“The IAF is acquiring 66 Hawk MK-132 AJT aircraft of which 24 are being supplied by BAE Systems in a flyaway condition. The remaining 42 will be built by HAL at its aircraft division here under licence in three phases,” as reported by Mr Ashok Baweja, chairman, HAL

Sydney - Another day, another safety scare for Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd.

Engineers at Singapore's Changi Airport discovered a body panel had fallen off a Qantas jumbo flying between Melbourne and the island republic, a spokeswoman said Friday.

"It had absolutely no flight safety implications," the spokeswoman said.

But there were implications for the passengers from Wednesday's mishap: a six-hour delay before the flight proceeded to London.