Air India will be paid $500M by Boeing for delays in Dreamliner

Boeing to pay Air India $500 million in compensation because of delays in delivering 27 on-order 787 Dreamliners. The planemaker agreed to the payment two weeks ago, a Civil Aviation Ministry official told reporters at the Hyderabad air show in India today. The carrier may get further compensation as it previously asked for $840 million and it has since asked for more because of further delays, he added.

Boeing's Indian officials denied to comment on this matter. 

Air India pilots protest

Protesting delayed payment of salaries and allowances, a section of Air India pilots on Wednesday warned they would not undertake flying duties from April 1 if their dues were not cleared by then. The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), which represents the pilots of pre-merger Air India, has shot off letters to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and others saying that a large number of its members had complained that financial distress could adversely affect their ability to safely discharge their duties and endanger lives.

Hence, its members "will be unable to operate flights on and after April 1, 2012, unless the management clears all the dues", IPG President Jeetendra Awhad said in the letter sent also to Air India CMD, Civil Aviation Secretary and Director General Civil Aviation.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/wont-fly-from-april-1-if-dues-not-cleared-threaten-air-india-pilots-183667?pfrom=home-otherstories&cp

China to build world's largest cargo aiport

China is planning to construct what would be the world’s largest cargo airport, near Beijing. The authorities plan a 2017 opening for the nine runway airport which is estimated to be a US$4.8B project. State-owned China Radio International said that the as-yet-unnamed airport would have nine runways and handle 5.5 million tonnes of freight a year, once it opens for business in October 2017. The airport will be located in rural Daxing and cover almost 2,700ha.