Etihad Airways’ CEO James Hogan has revealed that Jet Airways may switch its European ‘scissor hub’ from Brussels Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol.

Currently, Jet Airways operates a number of routes from India to Brussels, and then onwards to North America. In a move that aims to provide more connectivity through codeshares, switching the hub to Amsterdam will allow the airline to work more closely with Skyteam airline partners.

Etihad currently owns 24% of Jet Airways, and has itself recently started a new route to Amsterdam from Abu Dhabi. James Hogan has not mentioned any timescale, but the announcement is likely to be a big blow for Brussels which has very few long haul links.

Our new book title, Mumbai Airports Through Time gets a nice feature in the current Airports of the World magazine (probably the best enthusiast magazine on the subjects of airport spotting!)

The feature shows a snapshot of pictures from Mumbai’s airports, and gives a taste for the book (copies available here).

There’s also the chance to win a copy of Mumbai Airports Through Time, so grab a copy quickly. Go to this link to order: www.airportsworld.com

Or simply head to your local news agent.

Mumbai’s main airport is Chhatrapati Shivaji International, located in the area of Santa Cruz (which it often referred to as) which is very much within city limits.

This airport replaced the older Juhu Aerodrome in 1942 when it initially opened as RAF Santacruz.

Today the airport has five terminals (three domestic and two international) and two runways, and is the second busiest airport in India. It handles a lot of domestic and international traffic, along with cargo, government and military movements.

It is a hub airport for Air India, BlueDart, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, and Spicejet, with Air India handling a lot of maintenance for their aircraft at the airport.

There is a master plan for expanding the airport to allow it to handle 40 million passengers per year – up from the current 30 million. The plan will see all domestic and international flights combined into one terminal building. Additionally, some of the existing terminals will be converted for cargo operations. There is also a plan to build a parallel runway and new taxiways. At present the plan is to complete the expansion by the end of 2014, but it has been delayed a number of times.

Spotting in India is not allowed and I do not recommend that you draw attention to yourself by using binoculars, cameras, or even noting down registrations near the airport or in the terminal building.

The Orchid Hotel has been known as a spotting hotel in Mumbai, with a good rooftop terrace and some rooms with views. As the hobby is not understood in India, it is still advised that you use discretion or speak with hotel staff prior to spotting.

We recently released the book Mumbai Airports Through Time which covers Mumbai’s two airports from the 1970s to the present day. It is packed full of glossy photographs of aircraft, past and present, by two Indian aviation photographers. Since it’s so difficult to spot in India, I recommend you take a look at this book to get a flavour of the aircraft and airlines operating into Mumbai.

You can find out more and order a copy here: www.destinworld.com

I have been producing a new book by two prolific Indian photographers, entitled Mumbai Airports Through Time. The photographers are Sean DSilva and Jimmy Wadia.

The book is a fantastic photographic journey from the 1970s to the present day at both Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, and the smaller Juhu Aerodrome.

Formerly Bombay, Mumbai is one of the main centres of travel in India, and its airports see a lot of interesting aircraft from around the world flying in on a daily basis.

The main airport also sees a range of military, government, corporate and domestic traffic.

The smaller, original Juhu Aerodrome is a base for helicopter and general aviation operators today, but in the past was a busy airport handling the city’s main airline traffic.

Spotting in India is not easy, but these two photographers have been documenting movements at the airports for decades and have a vast range of spectacular images to show for it. Reproduced in this book in large, glossy images, it’s a chance for you to also enjoy the off-limits world of Indian aviation.

The book features 175 images of historic airliners, domestic, international, cargo, military, government, and helicopter traffic. It also covers the airport infrastructure at both airports. It’s a fantastic addition to any aviation book collection, and is available to buy now from Destinworld Publishing or Amazon.

You can buy a copy from this link: http://www.destinworld.co.uk/shop/mumbai-airports-through-time/

The book is 168 pages long, and full of glossy pictures. It is a nice 21cm x 21cm in size, too!

Here’s a selection of pictures from the book, showing off the quality of the shots Sean and Jimmy have taken:

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Air Asia has announced it is set to commence flying with its new Indian low-cost airline by the fourth quarter of 2013. The airline is a joint venture between Air Asia and the Tata Group.

The Air Asia Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said that by opening this new venture, its customers would be able to travel by the same low-cost airline brand from Japan all the way to India.

The airline will be based at Chennai, in southern India, and will use Air Asia’s Airbus A320s if permitted. Air Asia will also carry out maintenance for the airline.

India is already a booming low-cost industry, with a number of airlines already well-established and carrying a large number of passengers every year. However, Air Asia’s brand is well known and established, and it is likely to make significant inroads into the market.

Air Asia, based in Malaysia, currently has subsidiary airlines in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.

You may have heard that Air India was refusing to take delivery of any of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners until Boeing offered substantial compensation for the lengthy delays it has encountered in developing and delivery the airliners.

Well, the two parties have come to an arrangement, and you can expect to see the first three examples (a number have been in storage at Everett Paine Field for quite a while) delivered this month!

We always like to see a new airline start flying 787s, and with Air India you can expect it to begin Dreamliner flights from Mumbai to London and Delhi to Melbourne around August.

Initially, the aircraft will be used on domestic routes to enable crew familiarity to be gained.

Thai Airways has given details of its new low-cost brand which will be taking to Asian skies this summer.

Thai Smile Air is the name for the new carrier, which will initially operate a fleet of four Airbus A320 aircraft in a colour scheme modified slightly from (but strongly resembling) the parent carrier’s scheme.

The airline will be based at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, with initial routes starting 1st July 2012 including: Chiang Mai, Phuket, Kolkata, Jakarta, and Phnom Penh.

The airline will also start to serve domestic destinations including Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, Chiang Rai, and Surat Thani.

Passengers will be able to take advantage of lower fares whilst still maintaining quality, including meals and drinks. It will not be as basic as the existing Nok Air.

By 2013 Thai Smile Air will have 11 Airbus A320s and serve a greater number of destinations across Asia.

To mark the start of international scheduled services this week by ANA’s Boeing 787, I thought I’d mention a few other places you’ll be seeing the type this year. We’ll see a lot more Boeing 787 Dreamliners in our skies this year as more are delivered to airlines such as Air India, Japan Airlines and China Southern, so it’s time to start getting them in your logbooks!

Tokyo Haneda & Narita
With both ANA and JAL operating the Dreamliner this year, one of the best places to catch the type is at their Tokyo Narita and Haneda bases. This seems likely to be the place to catch the biggest concentration of Dreamliners outside of Seattle or Charleston this year.

Frankfurt International
For Europe, Frankfurt is the first place to see 787 operations with ANA from Tokyo. This was the type’s first international destination, and will be flying in every day.

Seattle
OK, so there are a few Seattle airports to see Deamliners. Most notably, Boeing’s Everett facility is the place where they’re put together. So you’ll see them quite regularly on flight test and out on the flight line. This includes the demonstrators, which is quite cool. However, ANA have also announced 787 flights to Seattle-Tacoma Airport from Tokyo, starting soon.

Boston
The US East Coast gets its first Dreamliner service from Japan Airlines in April, with non-stop service to Tokyo Narita.

Singapore
From September, Japan Airlines’ flights from Tokyo Narita will switch to 787s, increasing to 14x weekly by the end of October.

Melbourne
From October, Air India is expected to begin sending its 787s to Melbourne from its Indian bases. This will likely mark the first scheduled Dreamliner services to Australia.

Osaka Itami
Again, ANA sends its 787s to Itami. Maybe we’ll see more routes out of Osaka’s Kansai airport in the future, but for now the domestic one is the place to be.

New Delhi
Japan Airlines will start daily 787 flights to Delhi from Tokyo Narita later this year. However, if Air India receive their 787s on time, the airport is likely to get even more of the type in residence.

Moscow Domodedovo
Japan Airlines will send their Dreamliners to Moscow DME this year, replacing their 777 equipment. This sees the second known destination in Europe for the type.

Guangzhou
Despite heavy delays, China Southern are expected to take delivery of their first 787 before the Autumn. Therefore their home base of Guangzhou will become a hub for the type very soon.

There are of course more airports that the 787 flies to, such as domestic destinations within Japan. And as new frames arrive for Air India and China Southern, new routes will be announced. If you hear of any, let me know.