Vietjet places Vietnam’s largest aircraft order

Vietjet has placed the largest single aircraft order in the history of Vietnamese aviation.

The low-cost carrier has finalised an order with Boeing for 100 new B737 MAX 200 aircraft, valued at approximately US$11.3 billion at current list prices.

Air China enters Dreamliner era

Air China has taken delivery of its first ever Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The new long-haul jet was officially handed over to the airline in a ceremony in Beijing last week. Air China becomes the fourth Chinese airline to operate the Dreamliner, but the first to receive the larger B787-9 version.

Zambia conducts first roadshow in India

Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) recently conducted its maiden roadshow in India, with the aim of educating agents and enticing more travellers.

Events were held in Delhi and Mumbai, gathering travel trade representatives from both cities to learn more about Zambia’s tourist attractions.

Jet Airways adds Mumbai-Singapore capacity

Jet Airways will increase capacity on its Mumbai-Singapore route next month, with the deployment of a larger aircraft.

Air India connects Bhopal with Hyderabad

Air India has launched flight services between Hyderabad and Bhopal via Jabalpur to boost its regional connectivity.

Iftar service from Emirates

Emirates is bringing back its Iftar service for customers travelling during Ramadan.The special boxes have been re-designed and will be available across all cabin classes on select flights including those to and from the Gulf region as well as Umrah groups travelling to Jeddah and Medina.

Asiana Airlines adds more flights to India

Asiana Airlines will increase the frequency of its flights to Delhi this summer, with the launch of two more weekly services direct from Seoul.

Air Canada ramps up Indian operations with second Delhi route

Less than six months after the launch of its inaugural flight from Toronto to Delhi, Air Canada has unveiled plans to introduce a second direct service to the Indian capital.On 20 October 2016, the airline will launch three weekly flights between Vancouver and Delhi, using its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. This will mark the first time this route has been operated non-stop.Flights will depart Vancouver every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2140 and arrive in Delhi at 0120 two days later, having crossed the International Date Line.

Dan Hotels set to expand in India

Dan Hotels, an Israel hotel chain is set to venture into India with construction of a new hotel in Bengaluru.

Etihad Airways opens premium lounge opens at Melbourne

Etihad Airways has officially opened its new premium lounge at Melbourne Airport.A new expansive lounge has a seating capacity for up to 133 guests, the largest premium lounge outside Abu Dhabi.A centrepiece of the new lounge is the 26-seat dining area.

Flynas expands its Abu Dhabi frequency

Flynas recently announced its intent to increase capacity new flights linking Abu Dhabi with Riyadh and Jeddah.

Jet Airways ties up with Subway and Krispy Kreme

Jet Airways will offer sandwiches and doughnuts from food brands Subway and Krispy Kreme onboard select flights of less than 90 minutes in duration.

Slow Response To Past Crashes Could Hinder EgyptAir Search, Experts Say

PARIS/CAIRO:  Teams searching for the black box flight recorders of a missing EgyptAir jet that crashed with 66 people aboard face technical constraints that aviation experts increasingly blame on a slow regulatory response to earlier disasters.
As a three-year deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 draws towards a close in the Indian Ocean without finding the airplane, another is starting in the Mediterranean Sea where the lessons of previous crashes have yet to be applied.
Rescuers have barely 30 days until the batteries die on two underwater beacons designed to guide them to the black box flight recorders as they scour 17,000 square kilometres of sea north of the Egyptian port city of Alexandria.

Perturbed by inclement Delhi weather, airlines seek weather updates 'well in advance'

Airlines on Tuesday urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to help put in place a mechanism for providing weather updates "well in advance", a day after more than two dozen flights to the national capital were diverted due to inclement weather conditions.A host of issues, including about weather forecast system, were discussed during a meeting of executives from domestic airlines and airport operators with Ministry officials here today.

Qatar Airways expands in Thailand and opens Chiang Mai

Qatar Airways has announced that it will expand its network to Chiang Mai in Thailand from 16 December 2016.The airline will fly to Chiang Mai five times a week via Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, with an A330-200.

Air India connects Bhopal with Pune

Air India has recently launched flight services to connecting Pune and Bhopal via Raipur from 23 May 2016.

Sarovar Hotels forays into South Sudan

Sarovar Hotels has entered into the Republic of South Sudan by taking over management of The Panorama hotel. The hotel will be rebranded as The Panorama Sarovar Portico, Juba.

Scoot Airlines connects Singapore, Sydney with tier-2 Indian cities

Singapore-based low-cost carrier Scoot is focusing on tier-2 cities to expand its reach in India, a senior official said on Tuesday.

SpiceJet to fly into positive zone during current financial year, says Chairman Ajay Singh

Having revived Spicejet from the brink of collapse, the airline's chairman and managing director Ajay Singh expects the net worth of the low-cost carrier to fly into the positive zone during the current financial year.In a free-wheeling talk with Mail Today, Singh said he had paid off all the outstanding dues amounting to a whopping Rs 1600 crore to banks and the government, which had piled up when the airline was being managed by the Maran family.

IndiGo Pilots Grounded For Almost Landing On Road Thinking It Was Runway

Several passengers and others were endangered when an IndiGo aircraft flew close to a road near the Jaipur Airport in February, mistaking it for the runway.

Domestic Passenger Traffic To Cross 100 Million By Year-End: Regulator

New Delhi: Sounding bullish, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) expects more than 100 million domestic passengers to fly by the end of the year, especially as India has outstripped passenger traffic growth in this sector across major global economies including the US and China last year.

SpiceJet Plans Listing On National Stock Exchange

New Delhi: SpiceJet, which has remained profitable for five straight quarters, is looking to list its securities on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Air India Offers All-Inclusive Tickets Starting Rs 1,499

New Delhi: Close on the heels of budget carriers rolling out low fares, government-owned Air India has also launched a limited period "super sale" scheme, offering customers all-inclusive tickets starting as low as Rs 1,499 on its domestic network.

Flight 804 Debris Found But Offers Few Clues To Tragedy

CAIRO:  The discovery of human remains, wreckage and passenger belongings from an EgyptAir plane that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday added momentum to the quest to unravel the mystery of why Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo suddenly dropped from the sky, probably killing all 66 people aboard.

Egypt Is Often The Last To Recognize The Real Cause Of Its Plane Crashes

Across the world, leaders are jumping to conclusions about the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804, which was on its way from Paris to Cairo and lost contact in Egyptian airspace over the Mediterranean Sea. From the head of Russia's FSB security service to Donald Trump, terrorism is on the tip of everyone's tongues. And while the cause of the crash is still unknown, Egypt's history of ruling out terrorism when planes crash makes it especially significant that its civil aviation minister, Sherif Fathy, tentatively noted an attack as a distinct possibility.

SpiceJet Hopes To Place Order For Over 100 Aircraft In 2-3 Months

SpiceJet Ltd hopes to place an order for more than 100 single-aisle planes in the next two to three months, its chairman said, as the country's fourth-biggest airline by passenger market share reported a surge in quarterly profit.

Need To Discuss With Airlines Capping Of Airfares: Regulator

New Delhi: Amid concerns over steep fluctuations in airfares, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday said discussions need to be held with airlines before any decision on fixing an upper cap on ticket prices.

Air India installs self-check-in kiosks at 26 airports

National passenger carrier Air India on Thursday said that it has installed self-check-in kiosks at 26 airports around the country for its domestic fliers.

Missing EgyptAir Plane Has Probably Crashed: Civil Aviation Officials

An EgyptAir plane which had gone missing with66 people on board probably crashed into the sea, officials from Egypt's national airline said today.

SpiceJet's Rs. 511 Offer Triggers Price War, IndiGo Launches Counter Sale

SpiceJet's Rs. 511 offer has triggered an airfare war, forcing India's biggest carrier IndiGo to slash airfares on advance bookings. Gurgaon-based IndiGo is offering tickets at an all-inclusive fare of Rs. 806 on certain domestic routes. 

IndiGo Appoints Rohit Philip As Chief Financial Officer

New Delhi: IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation today announced the appointment of Rohit Philip as its Chief Financial Officer.

China To Have More Than 500 Airports By 2020

China plans to build more than 500 airports by 2020 to create a market worth over USD 153 billion for its general aviation industry.

SpiceJet Announces Rs 511 Ticket Offer

SpiceJet on Tuesday announced a three-day Rs 511-ticket offer to mark the 11th anniversary of the budget carrier. Tickets under the Rs 511 offer are available for domestic sectors. Passengers will need to pay additional taxes on tickets purchased under Rs 511-offer.

AirAsia Offers 50% Off On Return Fares

Bengaluru: Budget carrier AirAsia India on Monday announced 50 per cent discount in fare on return flights till May 18, for travel from August 1 to November 30, to mark the airline flying 2.5 million passengers since launching its operations in June 2014.

Personal Plane That Can Take Off From Your Garden Coming Up

A German start-up company is developing the world's first ultralight personal electric plane that can be powered from a wall socket, take-off and land vertically even from back gardens and is eco-friendly.

Eight Asian Budget Carriers Share Booking Platforms In Landmark Pact

Singapore: Eight Asian low-cost carriers including subsidiaries of Japan's ANA Holdings Inc and Singapore Airlines Ltd (SIA) have formed a landmark alliance allowing travellers to book flights across their platforms for the first time.

Malaysia's Rayani Air CEO Ravi Alagendrran Misses Inquiry Citing Ill Health

KUALA LUMPUR:  The Indian-origin CEO of Malaysia's Rayani Air, which bills itself as the world's first Shariah-compliant airline today failed to attend a inquiry citing ill health, a month after its operations was suspended for failing to adhere to aviation rules.

Supreme Court imposes Rs 10 lakh fine on SpiceJet for offloading disabled flyer

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed budget airline SpiceJet to pay Rs 10 lakh as damages to a flyer, suffering from cerebral palsy, who was forcibly offloaded in 2012, saying the manner in which she was deboarded depicts total lack of sensitivity.

Airbus Gives A320Neo Titanium Parts Contract To Karnataka-Based Aequs

New Delhi: Karnataka-based aerospace components' maker Aequs has bagged the contract for supply of over 100,000 titanium machined parts for the fuel-efficient A320neo (new engine option) aircraft from the European aviation major Airbus.

IndiGo To Add Flights To Its Network

New Delhi: Budget carrier IndiGo has said it will add 10 more flights including one in its international network between May 16 and June 22.

British Airways Plane Lands With Square Tyre, Baffles Experts

LONDON:  A British Airways A380 Superjumbo with a stunning square-shaped tyre has landed at London's Heathrow airport, baffling aviation experts.
The deflated tyre with a square shape was part of the landing gear on the flight BA-32 arriving from Hong Kong on Friday.

31 Complaints Regarding Air India's Food Quality: Aviation Minister Mahesh Sharma

NEW DELHI:  The number of complaints regarding the quality of food served on Air India's domestic flights has down to 31 in the previous fiscal from 34 in the year-ago period, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Not Fully Passing On Lower Fuel Cost Benefits To Customers: IndiGo

New Delhi: Amid rising concerns over higher airfares despite a fall in oil prices, no-frills airline IndiGo has acknowledged that it is not "passing on all" the benefits accruing from lower fuel costs to its customers.

Airlines have hiked ticket cancellation charges, says Mahesh Sharma

An analysis has showed that there has been an increase in cancellation charges for air tickets, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said on  while emphasising that airfares are not regulated by the government.

India's domestic air passenger traffic grew by 27% in March: IATA

India's domestic air passenger traffic grew more than six times of the US' domestic travel demand in March, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA).

No Proposals Yet For Commercial Use Of Drones, Says Government

NEW DELHI:  There is no proposal at present with aviation regulator DGCA for allowing commercial use of drones in the country, government said today.

Carried 63% More Passengers In 2015: Etihad Airways-Jet

Mumbai: Etihad Airways, which has a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways, on Wednesday said the alliance carried 63 per cent more passengers from the country in 2015 at 3.3 million.
"We (Etihad and Jet Airways) have carried 3.3 million passengers between India and Abu Dhabi in 2015. "This is a growth of 63 per cent over 2014," Etihad Airways chief commercial officer Peter Baumgartner told reporters.

India Is The World’s Fastest-Growing Aviation Market – And This MBA Wants A Piece Of It

The Indian aviation industry is taking off.

In 2015, domestic traffic soared by more than 20% while international flights increased by over 7%, according to a KPMG study. By 2020, India will become the world’s third largest aviation market after the US and China. Its airports could carry as many as 370 million passengers per year.

House panel for fixing upper limit for economy class airfares

A parliamentary panel on Friday recommended for fixing of an upper limit for the economy class airfares to curb the exorbitant air fares during the peak tourist seasons.

Flyers at the losing end as govt, opposition spar over aviation policies

Opposition members in the Lok Sabha have lashed out at private airlines for not passing on benefits of falling fuel prices to passengers while the ruling BJP members blamed the Congress-led UPA government for the financial problems faced by state-run Air India .

'Air India focus on higher revenues, not trimming staff costs'

Seeking a turnaround in its fortunes, Air India is looking to augment revenues rather than trim staff expenses even as it battles tough market conditions and financial woes.

Jet Airways offers up to 30% discount on international routes

Jet Airways has announced up to 30 per cent discount from India to international destinations on premiere and economy class across its network.

Carried 63% More Passengers In 2015: Etihad Airways-Jet

Mumbai: Etihad Airways, which has a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways, on Wednesday said the alliance carried 63 per cent more passengers from the country in 2015 at 3.3 million.

Lenders To Revalue Kingfisher House, Hope To Sell It Shortly: Report

Mumbai: Having failed once to sell the Kingfisher House for recovering their loans, banks have begun a fresh valuation process for auctioning the headquarters of the Vijay Mallya's long defunct Kingfisher Airlines. 

Government Says Air India No Longer Loss-Making

New Delhi: Efficient functioning and reduction in operational costs has helped national carrier Air India turn from a loss-making airline into an "operational profit unit", the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Proposal To Ensure Rs. 2,500 Air Ticket For 1-Hour Journey

New Delhi: There is a proposal to ensure that only Rs. 2,500 is charged per ticket for one-hour flights, the government told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid concerns expressed by members over exorbitant airfares.

Indonesian Planes Clip Wings At Airport In Latest Scare

JAKARTA, INDONESIA:  Two Indonesian passenger planes clipped wings as they were about to take off from Jakarta's main airport, an airline said Tuesday, the latest accident in the country's beleaguered aviation sector.

InterGlobe Aviation Drops Over 6% After Muted Q4 Result

Mumbai: Shares of IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation plunged over 6 per cent after the company's net profit remained flat at Rs 579.31 crore in the three months ended March.

Flying From Indira Gandhi International Airport Gets Cheaper

Flying out of Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi has got cheaper from today with the discontinuation of the development fee being charged from each passenger for the past several years.

No Takers For Kingfisher Airlines Brand At Online Auction: Report

Mumbai: Auction of brands and trademarks of the long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines turned out to be a damp squib on Saturday as lenders failed to attract a single bidder for sale of these pledged assets at a reserve price of Rs 366.70 crore in their efforts to recover unpaid loans from beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya.

Owner Of IndiGo Airline Posts 53% Rise In Annual Profit

New Delhi: IndiGo is India's largest airline, flying about one in three passengers in the country's booming air travel market.
To Read the News in Full

Parliamentary Panel For Full Restoration Of Equity Infusion To Air India

New Delhi: Recommending restoration of full amount of equity infusion of Rs 3,901.49 crore in Air India for this fiscal as sought by it, a parliamentary panel on Friday said a shortfall in funding could adversely impact the national carrier's financial and operational performance.

Air India Likely To Suffer Rs 2,636 Crore Net Loss In FY16

New Delhi: The government on Thursday said that national passenger carrier Air India is likely to suffer a net loss of Rs.2,636 crore during 2015-16.

Banks To Auction Kingfisher, 'Fly With Good Times' Trademarks

Mumbai: After a failed attempt to sell Kingfisher House, erstwhile headquarters of Vijay Mallya's defunct carrier, lenders will auction  the trademarks of the airline, including for 'Kingfisher' logo and once-famous 'Fly the Good Times' tagline on April 30.

IndiGo To Add 14 New Flights From Next Month

New Delhi: IndiGo will add over a dozen new flights to its network from next month as the budget carrier continues spreading its wings in the rapidly growing domestic market, which logged a healthy 25 per cent growth in March over the corresponding period of 2015.

Development Fee For Indira Gandhi Airport Passengers Will Be Refunded From April 30

NEW DELHI:  Aviation regulator DGCA has asked airlines to refund development fee charged from passengers flying out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on the tickets booked for journey beyond April 30.

Regulator Considers Easing Aircraft Import Norms

New Delhi: Domestic airlines might soon be allowed to import aircraft that are up to 18 years old, with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) proposing to ease the norms as government looks to boost regional air connectivity.

Airlines Asked To Help Flyers Fill Up Customs Form Onboard

New Delhi: All airlines operating flights from international destinations to India have been asked to help flyers bringing dutiable goods fill up customs form onboard.
The move, customs officials say, will check delay in payment of duty by such passengers and help in zeroing in on smugglers.

GoAir Hikes Ticket Cancellation Charges

New Delhi: Budget carrier GoAir on Thursday joined its peer group in upwardly revising its ticket cancellation charges.
The ticket cancellation fee for GoAir flights has been increased to Rs 2,225 from Rs 1,900 earlier, a GoAir spokesperson said.
The new cancellation charges are effective from April 21, the spokesperson said.
The airline, has however, kept its ticket cancellation charges slightly lower than those by IndiGo and SpiceJet, which recently hiked it to Rs 2,250 per ticket.