India's 2-year-long double digit growth in the domestic aviation market to end: IATA

Global airlines' body IATA has warned that India's over two-year-long uninterrupted double-digit growth in the domestic aviation market is set to end this month, saying the domestic traffic has been witnessing a slowdown since demonetisation.
India's 2-year-long double digit growth in the domestic aviation market to end: IATA

Global airlines' body IATA has warned that India's over two-year-long uninterrupted double-digit growth in the domestic aviation market is set to end this month, saying the domestic traffic has been witnessing a slowdown since demonetisation.

"The very strong upward SA (seasonally-adjusted) traffic trend has slowed since the unexpected 'demonetisation' in November 2016, in line with the wider impact that this looks to have had on economic activity."

IndiGo Plans Low-Cost, Long-Haul International Flights With Or Without Air India

Budget carrier IndiGo’s parent is not interested in any joint venture with the government if takes over some of Air India Ltd.’s operations.
The private airline is primarily interested in the international operations and low cost unit of Air India, founders Rahul Bhatia and Rohit Gangwal said in a conference call on Thursday. The carrier, however, plans to start low-cost, long-haul operations, with or without Air India, they added.
IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., had expressed interest in the loss-making national airline shortly after the government announced its definitive intent to divest its stake in Air India. The state-run carrier faces legacy issues and has a debt of over Rs 52,000 crore. It is surviving on a Rs 30,000-crore bailout package announced by the government in 2012.
To Read the News in Full 06/07/17 Krishanu Mukherji/Soumeet Sarkar/Bloomberg Quint

Smaller cities offer cheaper airfares to overseas hotspots

New Delhi: If you were considering a Sentosa trip for your kids, or seeking much-needed retail therapy on Orchard Road, you’d be better off giving Delhi’s crowded airport a miss and flying to Singapore instead from Jaipur.

The reason is simple: It’s much cheaper to board a flight from Sanganer – just about half of what it costs to fly to Singapore from Delhi’s T3. Fares on short-haul overseas routes from non-metro airports nosedived this summer, dovetailing neatly into federal efforts at spreading aviation to the hinterland and smaller cities in India.

India back at top of domestic air travel growth chart globally: IATA

New Delhi: After a temporary blip, India is back as the world's fastest growing domestic air travel market in May, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA). India saw domestic air travel in May 2017 over same month in previous year grow at 17.7%, followed by China at 16.8%.
IATA had said that India had been the fastest growing domestic aviation market globally for 22 months in a row, while giving the figures for March. But in April, Russia overtook India by witnessing 16.7% growth as opposed to India's 15.3%.
The very next month India got back at the top. IATA said the fastest growing markets — India, China, Russia and Japan — saw double digit growth in domestic air travel with the figures being — 17.7%, 16.8%, 12.8% and 10.3%.

IndiGo wants Air India to start low-cost international flights

No-frills airline IndiGo plans to start low-cost long haul international flights and is "focused narrowly" on buying Air India's overseas operations.

Little over a week after expressing its interest in buying out the operations of debt-laden Air India, IndiGo's founders -- Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal -- laid out the airline's long term plans to capitalise on the "untapped international air transportation opportunities" provided by India.

"Irrespective of how Air India story plays and based on our internal works, we are generally of the view that it makes fundamental economic sense for us to enter the long haul international market," Gangwal said.

Biju Patnaik airport to get 3-star hotel soon

Bhubaneswar:  The Biju Patnaik International Airport will soon have a high-end three-star hotel outside the operational area to provide accommodation and other services to passengers, officials, tourists and staff.
The airport authorities on Friday floated a request for proposal (RFP), inviting private parties to submit their proposals according to set norms. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will provide an acre of land adjacent to the current car parking area of the airport. The private party will construct the hotel at its own cost and maintain it for 30 years, airport sources said.
"After getting the proposals, we will invite tenders. The private party for the project will be selected on the basis of competitive bidding. Whichever party quotes higher revenue to be paid to the airport will be selected," said airport director Suresh Chandra Hota.
To Read the News in Full 08/07/17 Riyan Ramanath/Times of India

SpiceJet gears up for operation from Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is likely to get air service from September this year. Spicejet is planning to provide air connectivity on Jaisalmer-Jaipur-Delhi route six days a week.
On Friday, a team of Spicejet and DGCA reached Jaisalmer to oversee preparations.
The team inspected the new terminal and took stock of the ground reality.
For security at the new terminal, Air Force is imparting five-day training to RAC jawans.
Airport Authority of India, Jaisalmer, base director, Rajeev Punetha, said, that there is a possibility of air service by Spicejet on Jaisalmer-Jaipur-Delhi route from coming September and preparations have been started for the same.
To Read the News in Full 08/07/17 Times of India

Bhubaneswar airport to have three-star hotel by 2019

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to treat the visitors to Odisha with good hospitality, a three-star hotel will come up at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here by 2019.
According to reports, Request for Proposal (RFP) for construction of the 100-room hotel has already been invited by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

In Israel, Modi Announces Direct Flights to India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced the inauguration of a flight service to Tel Aviv from Delhi and Mumbai.

Speaking at an event for the Indian community in Israel, Modi also promised to ease requirements for Israeli military veterans of Indian heritage to receive Overseas Citizen of India and Person of Indian Origin cards, The Times of India reported.

Modi makes a point of holding large gatherings of Indians when he travels abroad, and has held similar events in New York, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Australia.

Flying in and out of Delhi to get cheaper with immediate effect

New Delhi: Flying in and out of Delhi could get cheaper with immediate effect. Aviation secretary RN Choubey on Friday issued the order for implementing the much lower aeronautical tariff regime at the IGI Airport. "The order for implementing the second control period tariff order at Delhi Airport has been issued and will come into effect from today itself. It will shorty be on the DGCA website," Choubey told TOI.
Under the new tariff regime, flyers are not required to pay any user development fee (UDF) while flying into Delhi's IGI Airport (IGIA). And the UDF for flying out of here, which currently goes up to Rs 1,130 (without taxes), will also be slashed to a Rs 10 and Rs 45, per domestic and international passenger, respectively.

AirAsia offers flights on new routes

AirAsia India is set to introduce flights on new routes connecting a host of cities. The airline, which is a joint venture by Tata Sons and Malaysian airline AirAsia, announced about the new fleet on its official Facebook page.
The airline is offering flights connecting Kolkata to Jaipur, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Bagdogra, and New Delhi.
"Kolkata, we're now connecting you to all the 4 parts of India! Fly with us to #Bengaluru, #Bhubaneswar, #Bagdogra, #Jaipur, #NewDelhi for awesome fares...", AirAsia India said in the Facebook post.

Air Astana named Best Airline in Central Asia and India

Astana: Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s national carrier, won the Best Airline in Central Asia and India award at the June 20 Skytrax World Airline Awards at the Le Bourget Air Show in Paris. The airline is celebrating the award for the sixth successive year.
Air Astana is the nation’s largest airline, with state-owned Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund holding 51 percent and the remainder belonging to BAE Systems, a British multinational company.

Airline president Peter Foster spoke about the company’s focus on service delivery.

“The key is that all successful airlines concentrate primarily on service delivery. By service delivery we mean not just what happens in the cabin, but what happens on the ground, the punctuality of the airline. We really take the view that our senior managers, myself included, have to be deeply involved in the details of service delivery, because if you take care of the details, the big picture looks after itself,” he said in an interview with The Astana Times.

You can directly fly from Vijayawada to Mumbai soon

Vijayawada: Before long, residents of Vijayawada could only hope for a direct flight to Mumbai and Kolkata. At present, Vijayawada has air connectivity with Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore.

As the Vijayawada Airport is close to Amaravati, the State government is keen that it becomes an airport with connectivity to all metropolises in India. As part of its efforts to give necessary facelift to the Vijayawada Airport, the government is feverishly making efforts to get an airline to introduce direct flights to Mumbai to begin with and then to Kolkata.

The CRDA officials are holding talks with airlines to get them operate their Boeings from Vijayawada to Mumbai, but the latter is not showing much interest citing that the flights might be unviable.

GST structure for airlines: What's in store for economy, business class and lease rentals

With airlines in India doing brisk business over the past few years on the back of rising incomes and cheaper air tickets due to low oil prices, Goods and Services Tax (GST) is likely to impact air travel.

If you are a frequent flier, you will witness effects of GST tax rates on your airfares henceforth.
GST council has lowered the tax rate in economy class flight ticket to 5% from previous service tax of 6%.

However, it increased business class tickets at a GST tax slab of 12% versus previous service tax of 9%.

Moreover, airlines can only claim input tax credit (ITC) on input services for the economy class, while in case of business class they can claim ITC for spare parts, food items and other inputs excluding cost on aviation fuel turbine (ATF) as it falls under purview of GST.
The government has also levied a GST of 5% on lease rentals paid by airlines.

Air India was once the company that inspired Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific

In the early 1970s, the government of Singapore, led by prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, had a great idea. In order to attract investment into the little island nation, it thought of starting an international airline that would act as a kind of flying advertisement for Singapore and its world-class capabilities. It would do this by demonstrating to decision-makers around the world a level of excellence that that they had never experienced from the top global airlines of the time.
It was a brilliant idea, but this new Singapore Airlines would obviously need to collaborate with an existing airline from which it would acquire the necessary know-how and service standards. The question was, which airline could that be? The authorities made a shortlist of the world’s best airlines, and finally zeroed in on one of them.
And that airline, believe it or not, was Air India.
Anthony Sampson, in his best-selling book, Empires of the Sky—The Politics, Contests and Cartels of World Airlines, devotes a chapter to how Asian carriers like Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Thai Airways began to dominate the skies in the 1970s by redefining the concept of service. But the very first Asian airline to do so, Samson notes, was Air India, which provided the inspiration for all the others, right from the 1940s.

International airport to come up in Agra once land is available, Jayant Sinha assures locals

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha has assured the people of Agra that an international airport will be developed in the city, something that the locals have been demanding for several decades.  
Sinha added that the airport in Jewar had nothing to do and was different from Agra's claim for an airport.
Talking to India Today, the Union Minister said, "The government is looking for sufficient land to construct a new international airport in Agra.

Chopper operators sidelined in UDAN scheme

New Delhi: While helicopter operators do yeoman’s service in difficult terrain, it is the bigger airlines which are all set to get a larger share of the market that has been created by the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme launched by the Union government.

The bid of the only helicopter operator, Pawan Hans Ltd, a PSU, got rejected in the first round of bidding as it had put a few conditions. According to sources, PHL wanted more compensation as they said the viability gap fund offered was inadequate to support the cost of operations.

With more airlines likely to jump into the fray for winning bids in the second round of bidding, helicopter operators are likely to find the turf lopsided.

Small airports keep tariffs low to stay competitive

Mumbai: While some major airports like Mumbai and Delhi have in past asked for high airport user taxes/tariff citing cost overruns and increasing expenditure, some of the smaller airports like Chandigarh and Trivandrum have gone for lower user taxes despite being allowed higher price cap by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Aera).

The reason: these smaller airports believe that they will lose the advantage to major metro airports if they increase the price.

According to S Machendranathan, chairperson, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Aera), there have been instances where airports have kept the taxes/charges lower than the cap to remain competitive or for passenger convenience.

Singapore explores more air links to India

Singapore: Singapore is exploring more airline services to India which is expected to overtake China and Indonesia to become the fastest-growing air-traffic generating market for Changi Airport here, according to a media report.

New services to Pune, Madurai, Bhubaneswar and Guwahati are being explored, to add to the 15 cities in India that airlines already operate to from Singapore, said Changi Airport Group's managing director for air hub development Lim Ching Kiat.

More than 1.7 million passengers travelled between Singapore and India between January-May this year, a 15 per cent jump over the same period of last year, Lim was quoted as saying by the Straits Times.

Modern aircraft to land at NCC Karnataka's air wing

Bangalore: The National Cadet Corps (NCC) Air Wing is a starting point for youngsters opting for a career in aviation.

From those who become Air Warriors in the Indian Air Force to those who join the civil aviation industry as pilots or cabin crew and to those who join as as operators, managers, supervisors and engineers in commercial airlines-- it is at the NCC’s Air Wing that all exposed to flying and handling aircraft controls at a young age.

The NCC Directorate, Karnataka and Goa, has decided to replace its old micro light aircraft with modern ones in a few months.

SilkAir announces airfare discounts

Chennai:  SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, has announced discounts in return airfares as well as a chance to win business class tickets in its extensive network of 53 destinations. The offer is to mark the upcoming arrival of its new Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, which is slated for October this year.
The promotional sale from July 3 to July 31 offers discounts for both business and economy class airfares.
Special all-in one way fares are available to Singapore from Rs 5,888 and to Kuala Lumpur Rs 7,888 onwards. The all-in return fares to Singapore start from Rs 13,888 and to Malaysia from Rs 14,888.
To Read the News in Full 03/07/17 V Ayyappan/Times of India

SpiceJet Enters Offline Retail, Offers Free Tickets To Goa, Bangkok

Airline SpiceJet said it has opened its first physical store under its new ‘SpiceStyle’ retail brand at Galleria Mall in Gurgaon, near Delhi.

The launch of its first physical store marks SpiceStyle’s entry into the offline segment besides its ecommerce portal and a brand store launched in association with Amazon.

It also announced freebies, including free tickets to Goa and Bangkok for those who buy from its new venture.

“The store will function as a premium channel to offer the latest in fashion and lifestyle across 12 different brands including a signature Rohit Bal collection,” the company said.

Air Canada to Inaugurate Toronto-Mumbai Non-stop Service

Montreal: Air Canada inaugurates new, non-stop Toronto-Mumbai service tomorrow, the only non-stop flight from Canada to India's largest city. The four-times weekly service will be operated with Air Canada's most modern aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
"Air Canada is always excited to launch a new route and this is particularly gratifying given Mumbai is India's largest city and regarded as its financial, commercial and entertainment capital. This flight is the third route we have started to India in less than two years, demonstrating our commitment to this vibrant market as well to our continuing international expansion strategy. This is the only non-stop service between Canada and Mumbai and positions Air Canada as offering the best coverage of any carrier operating between Canada and India," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.

Air Asia proposes 3 flights from city

Bhubaneswar:  After successful launch of the first direct international connectivity from Bhubaneswar, Air Asia is set to launch domestic operations from the City. The Malaysia-based airline has proposed a schedule for three flights from the Temple City, said sources.

While authorities at  Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) have confirmed receiving the proposal and schedule from Air Asia, a final call on operations will be taken after receiving mandatory clearance from Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Why IndiGo might be more serious than Tata to buy Air India

IndiGo, India’s biggest airline by market share, has formally expressed an interest in buying the troubled national carrier Air India which is about to be put on sale by the government, probably beating the Tata Group to making a formal approach with the authorities. But here’s the catch. IndiGo wants to preferably buy only the international operations of Air India and its low-cost airline Air India Express. Given IndiGo’s leadership in the domestic market with a hard-to-beat 41% share and its aggressive plans to expand overseas, it makes sense.
Air India is a distant third largest player in the Indian civil aviation market with a small 14% share. While that revenue would be a welcome addition to IndiGo’s kitty, it is Air India’s leadership in overseas passenger traffic with 17% of the international skies in its portfolio which is the main attraction for IndiGo, which itself has major ambition to quickly start adding international destinations to its network.
Expansion plan
IndiGo’s outstanding order for aeroplanes — the largest for any airline in the world — is a testament to this ambition. The airline has 458 aircraft on order, scheduled for delivery over the next decade, to add to its existing 135 aircraft, which is also the largest fleet for any airline in India.

Indian airlines' order book to touch 1,123 planes: CAPA

The order book of Indian carriers is expected to touch 1,123 aircraft in the coming weeks with new orders from Jet Airways and Vistara, aviation think tank Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said today.

Citing its earlier research, CAPA said Jet Airways is expected to place an order for another 100 narrow-body aircraft, while Vistara is likely to order 50 narrow-body planes and 50 wide-bodied ones. Jet Airways and Vistara are full service carriers.

"With these planned acquisitions, India's order book will reach 1,123 aircraft –- the third largest in the world after the USA and China. And its ratio of 2.2 aircraft on order for every aircraft in service would be the highest of any major aviation market," CAPA said in a report.

India's tallest air traffic control tower to become operational in December

New Delhi: India's tallest air traffic control (ATC) tower will be operational at Delhi airport by this year-end, a top official said.
The 101.9-meter air traffic control (ATC) tower has already been handed over by the operator of the Indira Gandhi International Airport to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
"ATC operation is something that cannot be put on hold. We will start the trial run soon and there will be tests for two to three months," Guruprasad Mohapatra, AAI chief, told the media Thursday.
"After that parallel operations will start by December and gradually we will shift to the new tower," he added.
To Read the News in Full 30/06/17 Xinhua

Introducing the biggest airline you've never heard of

It has been quite a turnaround for SpiceJet. In December 2014 the low-cost Indian airline was on the brink of collapse following five consecutive years in the red (culminating in an annual loss of $159m - £122m - for that year). It was even forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights because it hadn’t paid its bills and oil companies were refusing refuel its planes.

Since that nadir, however, it’s stock has risen more than 800 per cent, giving it a market value of $1.2 billion (£0.9bn). According to Bloomberg, no airline on the planet is performing so strongly. And this week, after it had announced an order for 100 Boeing aircraft, SpiceJet earned praise from none other than Donald Trump, who thanked it for safeguarding US jobs.
Bloomberg highlighted the good work of “white knight” chairman Ajay Singh for “cutting loss-making routes and aggressively adding capacity in one of the world’s fastest growing markets”.
The fact that oil prices have remained low for the last few years has helped, of course. Indeed, airlines around the world have never had it so good. Ryanair recently announced a pre-tax annual profit of €1.3bn (£1.1bn). Even the parent company of British Airways, IAG, recorded operating profits of €170m (£144.6m) for the first three months of 2017 – and that’s despite a succession of controversies for the UK airline.

Jet Airways to start new service from Silchar

Silchar: The passengers travelling from Silchar will witness the first-ever commercial Boeing aircraft beginning its journey from south Assam. Leading airliner Jet Airways will launch its Boeing 9W 903 aircraft which will connect Delhi via Guwahati and Kolkata.
According to sources at Jet Airways in Silchar, the commencement of the Boeing with a capacity of 168 passengers shall bring an end to the ATR flights which began operating from the Kumbhirgram Airport since 2011.

“The flight which will operate on a daily basis shall take off from Delhi at 7am.

China and India boost Changi airport’s passenger traffic

Indian and Chinese nationals helped boost passenger traffic at Changi airport last month, and a total of 5 million travellers passed through its gates during that month.

The airport said in a statement last month’s figures were an increase of 4.6% compared to the same period last year, bringing total passenger traffic at the airport to 25.21 million so far this year, TODAY reported.

Bloomberg crowns SpiceJet world's top performing aviation stock

SpiceJet, which has risen by 124% in 2017, has been ranked the world's top performing stock by Bloomberg. The news agency reported - "None of the analysts covering SpiceJet recommends selling the stock, according to Bloomberg data. HDFC Securities Ltd., the only firm recommending the equivalent of a hold rating, still predicts profitability will increase "sharply" on a stronger rupee and weak oil prices".
SpiceJet had recently placed orders with Bombardier Commercial Aircraft for purchase of up to 50 Q400 turboprop planes, valued at up to $1.7 billion.

Best budget airlines in world: AirAsia tops, Indigo 10th in new Skytrax list

Best budget airlines in world: Aviation rating agency Skytrax has said AirAsia is the best budget airline in the world. Air Asia has bagged this position consecutively for the ninth time. The airline was one of many presented the award at a ceremony during the 2017 Paris Airshow. According to BusinessInsider, AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said in a statement, “We take the world champion title seriously and we will strive to continue to improve for both our guests and shareholders. Over the last 15 years we have created a great brand and over the next 15, we want to move towards One AirAsia, a truly (Southeast Asian) airline.”

SpiceJet’s turnaround story: From forced grounding to world's top airline stock in 2 years

Two and a half years after SpiceJet Ltd. was forced to ground its entire fleet on its inability to pay a mere $2.2 million in fuel bills, the budget airline has become the world’s best-performing airline stock -- with $26 billion in plane orders to boot.

The company’s co-founder and Chairman Ajay Singh has played the white knight, injecting capital, cutting loss-making routes and aggressively adding capacity in one of the world’s fastest growing markets. To top it all off, crude prices are staying low.

For investors, that’s been a winning formula: SpiceJet shares are the best performers on a Bloomberg Intelligence index of airline stocks this year.

Air passengers give a thumbs up to biometrics: Study

New Delhi: An iris scan, facial recognition, a wave of the hand or fingerprint could help air travellers avail a seamless experience as a recent study has determined that more than half of the passengers surveyed would prefer biometrics for identification purposes at airports.

However, nearly a third of the respondents have expressed concerns over the privacy of their personal information. More than 7,000 passengers from 17 countries, including India, were part of the 12th edition of the Passenger IT Trends Survey conducted by air transport information technology provider SITA and Air Transport World.

Airport goes green, to run on solar power by March

The entire Pune airport will run on solar power by March next year, say officials, as the facility would be able to generate 200 kilowatt (KW) of solar energy a day.
"Planning is on. By March next year, the airport will be able to generate power with the help of solar panels. A sum of Rs 1.25 crore will be spent on this project, which mainly involves setting up solar panels," Pune airport director Ajay Kumar said.
Another senior airport official said the whole facility will be lit up and operated by solar power.

China and India boost Changi airport’s passenger traffic

Indian and Chinese nationals helped boost passenger traffic at Changi airport last month, and a total of 5 million travellers passed through its gates during that month.

The airport said in a statement last month’s figures were an increase of 4.6% compared to the same period last year, bringing total passenger traffic at the airport to 25.21 million so far this year, TODAY reported.

Traffic from South Asia saw a 17% growth, with India leading the tally, charting a 21% year-on-year growth, as passengers to and from Mumbai and Chennai rose by more than 20%.

China was the other major market. It registered double-digit growth -- 11% -- accounting for more than half a million passengers last month, or about one in every 10 passengers who passed through Changi.
To Read the News in Full 28/06/17 Bangkok Post

Indira Gandhi International Airport offers fourth-fastest Wi-Fi speeds among airports in Asia: Ookla

Ookla conducted a survey between March and May this year to analyze the Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity at the busiest airports in Asia. The survey was conducted in countries like the UAE, South Korea, Japan, India, Thailand and more. In India, the speed test was conducted in New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The survey also highlights the difference between speeds offered by Wi-Fi and cellular network, and which one can be opted.


In terms of Wi-Fi connectivity at airports, Dubai International airport bagged the top position with 39.50 Mbps download speed and 46.27 Mbps upload speed.

Aviation school conducts admission tour

Hyderabad: Carver Aviation, a Pune-based flight school, organised an admission tour in the city. The academy’s trainers told students that the sector was expectedto have a high growth in the future. India would be the third biggest aviation market in the world by 2020 with 1,174 aircraft and 285 helicopters, Carver’s trainers told the students.

Pilot-training and aircraft maintenance would be covered as part of the course. Training would be given on single-engine and multi-engine aircraft. A total of 200 hours of pilot-training is mandatory for any candidate to apply for the post of commercial pilot. The aviation school charges Rs. 26 lakh for single-engine flight-training and Rs. 28.5 lakh for multi-engine training. The college had produced 12 commercial pilot trainees in the past six months.
To Read the News in Full 27/06/17 The Hindu

India & America must work together to create jobs: SpiceJet Chairman

In an interview to CNBC-TV18's Shereen Bhan, Ajay Singh, Chairman of SpiceJet spoke about the potential of the aviation sector in India.

Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview.

Q: Aviation clearly is a big focus area of opportunity and collaboration. In fact the Prime Minister mentioning the aviation sector and the possibilities this morning.

A: India is the fastest growing aviation market in the world today. We are growing at 20-25 percent and despite that growth, just about 3 percent of Indians fly. So, there is obviously great potential and therefore there is great potential to buy planes.

SpiceJet has bought up to 205 aircrafts from Boeing. They are worth USD 22 billion. As per the United States Department of Commerce, that creates 1,32,000 American jobs, high paid, high skilled American jobs right here in the United States.

Vistara Airlines introduces augmented reality for its in-flight magazine

Augmented Reality (AR) has taken a leap forward particularly with the smartphone game Pokémon GO, and India is slowly embracing the augmented reality scene. The latest to join is Vistara Airlines, owned by the group Tata Sons, which has introduced AR for its in-flight magazine, Vistara Magazine.
The cover of the Vistara Magazine turned into life courtesy of AR, The Indian Express reports. To enable this feature, one has to download the official Vistara Magazine mobile app, which is available on both iOS and Android. Passengers will then have to open the mobile app and move it over the cover of the magazine. They can also use AR on photos within the magazine itself.

Need to make commercial planes in India, says SpiceJet chief

Washington: India should come out with policy initiatives for local manufacturing of commercial planes as its aviation market is poised to become the third largest in the world, spicejet chief Ajay Singh said today.

SpiceJet got a shout-out from US President Donald Trump, as he stood along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the White House Rose Garden, for orders placed with US aircraft maker boeing.

"I was pleased to learn about an Indian Airlines' recent order of 100 new American planes, one of the largest orders of its kind, which will support thousands and thousands of American jobs," Trump said, without naming SpiceJet which has placed the USD 22 billion order.

Bloomberg crowns SpiceJet world's top performing aviation stock

SpiceJet, which has risen by 124% in 2017, has been ranked the world's top performing stock by Bloomberg. The news agency reported - "None of the analysts covering SpiceJet recommends selling the stock, according to Bloomberg data. HDFC Securities Ltd., the only firm recommending the equivalent of a hold rating, still predicts profitability will increase "sharply" on a stronger rupee and weak oil prices".
SpiceJet had recently placed orders with Bombardier Commercial Aircraft for purchase of up to 50 Q400 turboprop planes, valued at up to $1.7 billion. The Q400 turboprop planes can seat 86 passengers.

Air passengers give thumbs up to biometrics

New Delhi: An iris scan, a facial recognition, hand wave or fingerprint could help air travellers avail a seamless experience as a recent study has determined that more than half of the passengers surveyed would prefer biometrics for identification purposes at airports.

However, nearly a third of the respondents have expressed concerns over privacy of their personal information.

More than 7,000 passengers from 17 countries, including India, were part of the 12th edition of Passenger IT Trends Survey conducted by air transport IT provider SITA and Air Transport World.

Experts give aspirants insights on Aviation Industry

It was a great opportunity for students who wanted to make a career in the aviation industry. Experts from Carver Aviation Academy interacted with the participants and gave them insights about the industry and its growth.

Nikhil Jadhav of Carver Aviation said that the main objective of the seminar is to clear the doubts from the minds of students and provide correct guidance to them. During the Seminar the Aviation expert Dhruv Bhatiya addressed the students and explained in detail about the career in commercial pilot, private pilot and others.

Indore: State’s first overseas flight awaits MHA nod

Indore: Air India has completed the preparation for rolling out the state’s maiden international flight from the city under ‘hub-and-spoke’ policy to Sharjah via Mumbai. However, the national carrier is awaiting the approval from Union ministry of home affairs to start its operation, which was expected to be granted by October. Nevertheless, on domestic front, the PSU airliner is likely to roll-out three flights from city to Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Kolkata by September. Chairman and managing director (CMD) of Air India, Ashwani Lohani, here at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) on Saturday while interacting

Task force formed on aviation

New Delhi: The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) on Monday set up a task force for identifying opportunities in India’s civil aviation sector.
The panel will be chaired by Pratt and Whitney’s Managing Director-India Palash Roy Chowdhury and co-chaired by global consultancy KPMG’s partner and India head of aerospace and defence Amber Dubey.
“The U.S.-India Business Council today launched its India-Task Force on Civil Aviation that will focus on identifying opportunities for implementation based on the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP),” the business lobby group said in a statement here. The task force would engage with various stakeholders to promote international best practices and address potential hurdles, USIBC said in the statement.

Domestic airlines eye bigger share of foreign traffic

Unlike many countries, international air traffic to and from India continues to be dominated by foreign airlines, primarily from West Asia. But Indian carriers have been growing their share of the pie steadily.

From about 30 per cent in FY14, the share of domestic airlines in India’s international traffic rose to 34 per cent in FY16 and further to 35 per cent in FY17, says a report by rating agency ICRA. This is a result of Indian carriers outperforming their international counterparts in traffic growth.

For instance, in FY17, while overall traffic growth to and from India was 8.4 per cent, the domestic carriers grew their international traffic at a faster 11.8 per cent.

Food court for Cial's domestic passengers

Kochi: As part of Cial's plans to convert its old international terminal (Terminal 1) into the new domestic terminal, renovation work has started and they plan to have a full-fledged food court to cater to the increasing domestic passenger movement.
The decision to start work on converting the Terminal 1 to domestic airport was taken soon after the airport opened the new Terminal 3 to international passengers.
Cial this week issued a tender seeking a single concessionaire for the implementation and the running of the two food facilities at the terminal, which will include three snack bars at level 2 and a food court at level 3.

Air Travellers’ Association opposes airport at Bhogapuram

Visakhapatnam: There was no need for spending crores of rupees to set up an international airport at Bhogapuram at the cost of farmers’ livelihood, according to Air Travellers’ Association of India president D Varada Reddy.

He addressed a letter to this effect to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. He alleged that there were attempts to remove the present international airport in Visakhapatnam by the overenthusiastic Andhra Pradesh government which was snatching away thousands of acres of land from farmers at Bhogapuram in the name of a greenfield airport there.

Four new check-in counters at airport

Patna: The Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) Airport here will have four more check-in counters as the number of passengers is bound to increase after five new flights become operational from July 1, sources said. At present, there are 14 check-in counters at the airport.
Another scanner machine will also be placed by July-end to screen the passengers' luggage. The airport has two luggage scanners — one in the security hold area and the other at the departure junction.
"With minimal resources, the airport authorities intend to improve passenger amenities to the best of their abilities. The four new check-in counters will be of great relief for passengers. We will start with the extension work shortly," said acting JPNI airport director M M Francis.
To Read the News in Full 25/06/17 Times of India

New terminal to come up at Agra airport

Agra: The Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 64.94 crore for a new international terminal building at the Agra airport, an official said on Monday.
Work on the airport, renamed Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, is expected to begin in the first week of July, Agra Divisional Commissioner K. Ram Mohan Rao told the media.
The money will be used to buy land from farmers. The state government is purchasing 23.3 hectares of land in Dhanauli village, he said.
Rao said the air terminal project will boost tourism in Agra.

Jewar to be second airport in Delhi NCR

New Delhi: Jewar in Greater Noida will become the second airport in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi after the aviation ministry granted approval to the project today. The government expects the airport to be operational in the next five to six years and would see an investment of about Rs 20,000 crore.

“We have granted in-principle approval for a greenfield airport at Jewar (Greater Noida) to cater to the growing flying requirements of NCR," aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju told reporters today.

He added that the International Airport will cater to 30-50 million passengers per year over the next 10-15 years.

Government plans air connectivity in Sawai Madhopur

Jaipur: After throwing open Ranthambore Tiger Reserve to tourists round the year, the Rajasthan government is now planning to connect Sawai Madhopur by air to increase the footfall. Directorate of civil aviation has proposed to start services between Delhi-Sawai Madhopur along with four other routes.
Making it easy for tourists to reach at tiger reserve, the government has asked private players to ply between Delhi and Sawai Madhopur. At present the nearest airport is in Jaipur. The distance from there to the tiger reserve is about 170 kms.

AAI eases bidding terms for Ahmedabad, Jaipur airports

New Delhi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) has changed the tenure of the operations and maintenance contracts for the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports to 20 years from 10 years, and will allow airline operators to bid for them in an effort to improve revenue for successful bidders.

“We have changed certain criteria as requested by interested parties,” Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said, adding several global players were interested in the two projects.

Vijayawada old airport terminal readying for international operations

Vijayawada: The old terminal of Vijayawada Airport is going to have all international airport terminal facilities such as immigration section, plant quarantine and others.

The old terminal, which was deserted after the domestic terminal facilities were moved to the new swanky terminal, will be open for international services starting from August 1.

The Civil Aviation Minister officially declared Vijayawada Airport as international airport with effect from August 1 when requisite facilities for international operations will be made available.

Japanese firms keen on Tokyo-B'luru flight

Bengaluru: A direct flight may connect Bengaluru with Tokyo, a top Japanese diplomat has hinted, stating that discussions are underway on several fronts, involving the Far East nation’s two leading carriers — Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) — one of which could potentially serve the said circuit.

Talking to DH on the sidelines of the Invest Japan Seminar here on Friday, Consul-General of Japan Takayuki Kitagawa said, “The Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Bengaluru is keen on linking Bengaluru to Tokyo by air, and has approached both JAL and ANA. Research and cost benefit analysis about the route are underway. The discussions at the moment are at the CEO level at both airlines, but in my personal opinion, I see it being realised.”

Naidu: Orvakal airport will accelerate growth

​Kurnool: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has said the greenfield airport being constructed at Orvakal will help weed out faction feuds in Kurnool district. With the construction of the airport, many industries will come up in the district thus helping business in this area and generating more employment.

The Chief Minister, who laid the foundation stone for the airport on Wednesday, said that it will be constructed in 2,000 acres at a cost of Rs 120 crore. He said as of now businessmen of Kurnool have to go either to Hyderabad or to Bengaluru airports by travelling hundreds of kilometres for not having the airport facility in Kurnool.

33 destinations to have air integration soon

Chennai: About 33 destinations (unserved airports) throughout the country will be connected by air services by this September-end, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has informed on Wednesday.

Five operators would operate on 128 routes connecting 70 airports, most of which are not well connected by airlines at present. “Five airlines will be participating in the first phase and we will see (air) connectivity by this September-end,” Gajapathi Raju said.

These 33 destinations would be connected under the Udan scheme, Gajapathi Raju who earlier participated in the International Day of Yoga at SBOA School here, said. Noting that Salem airport in Tamil Nadu is inoperative, the Minister said it is for the state government and airline operators to decide on providing regional connectivity.

SpiceJet in tie-up with US firm for lighter seats

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has entered into a tie-up with a US-based company for lighter seats that also offer more legroom on the aircraft.

The airline has awarded a seat programme for its first 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. A part of SpiceJet's existing Boeing 737 Next Gen fleet will also be retrofitted with the new seats.

The agreement with LIFT by EnCore is for a product line called Tourist Class Seating.

Qatar Airways considers India, Italy plans

Qatar Airways is in talks with Bombardier concerning the possible use of CSeries jets for the Qatari carrier's proposed Indian venture, CEO Akbar al Baker has said.

"Instead of ATRs [from Avions de Transport Régional] or Q400s [from Bombardier], I could use the CSeries on short-runway destinations in India," he told Reuters during the 2017 Paris Airshow.

In March this year, al Baker revealed plans to take advantage of India's proposed relaxation of laws governing foreign investment in local carriers. Under the plan, though foreign carriers may not own more than 49% of an Indian airline, sovereign wealth funds are and have been permitted to own up to 51% of Indian scheduled passenger airlines.

GoAir starts aviation security training institute

New Delhi: Low cost carrier (LCC) GoAir Thursday announced the establishment of its "aviation security training institute" (ASTI). Approved by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the training institute was inaugurated by GoAir MD and CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer.
GoAir's ASTI will conduct aviation security training for its security staff, cockpit and cabin crew or personnel of all stakeholders covering security areas at airports as mandated by BCAS. This institute is also authorised and equipped to provide training to other airlines for the security requirements as per regulatory guidelines.

Jet airways to launch flights to Jaipur and Ahmedabad

Indore:  Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport of Indore is going to have two direct flights to states like Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Jet Airways (India) has written to city airport authorities to allow it to operate two new flights that it plans to introduce on the Indore-Ahmedabad-Indore and Indore-Jaipur-Indore routes from July.
This comes in the leap of new flights introduced by Air India on Indore, Gwalior, Mumbai and Delhi routes recently.
"We have given approval to Jet Airways for operations of direct flights between Indore-Jaipur and Indore-Ahmedabad," Indore airport's director Aryama Sanyal said.

US welcomes India-Afghan direct air corridor

Washington: The US today welcomed the inauguration of a direct commercial air corridor between India and Afghanistan that bypasses Pakistan, describing the route as a new avenue for Afghan products to enter the international market.

"We welcome this new avenue for Afghan products...And India's contributions to Afghanistan's development and economic growth," a State Department spokesperson told PTI.

Gorakhpur, India to see maiden int'l flights?

A new terminal at India's Gorakhpur airport was opened this week, with the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announcing that air services to Mumbai Int'l and Kathmandu, Nepal will start "soon". The minister, quoted in the Hindustan Times, did not elaborate on when the services would start, or who would run them.

Gorakhpur, located in India's north, approximately 100 kilometres from the border of Nepal, is currently served by SpiceJet , flying to Delhi Int'l and Kolkata Int'l, and Alliance Air (India), flying to Delhi. The new terminal increases the airport's capacity to 100 passengers.

The Chief Minister added that the state government's priority is to provide connections for other cities in the region, such as Allahabad, Bareilly, Kanpur, Jhansi and Faizabad.
To Read the News in Full 21/06/17 ch-aviation

Mumbai airport unlikely to be part of next bidding under UDAN

New Delhi: The Mumbai airport is unlikely to participate in the second round of bidding for air routes for the government's regional connectivity scheme or UDAN because of capacity-crunch at the busy aerodrome.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport handled 837 flights a day, or one in 65 seconds, on an average in fiscal 2016-17, becoming the world's busiest airport with single- runway operations.
According to sources, while the airport has a capacity of 45 flights per hour, it often sees an aircraft movement rate of 54.
Under the regional connectivity scheme, also known as UDAN (or Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik), routes are bid out to airline operators based on certain criteria, including that related to tariff and requirement of subsidy from the government.

Shirdi airport may not join UDAN scheme

New Delhi: The soon-to-be-inaugurated airport at the temple town Shirdi is unlikely to be part of government's regional connectivity scheme (RCS) or UDAN with some stakeholders opposed to the 3-year exclusivity clause.
UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) aims at making flying affordable by capping fares at Rs 2,500 per hour on select routes and enhancing air connectivity for tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Under the scheme, airlines that win the bid for a route gain exclusively right to operate on it for three year.
Airline operators are also provided a subsidy by the Centre and the state governments concerned, along with incentives by the airport, in order offer low fares to passengers.

India’s SpiceJet to buy up to 50 additional Bombardier Q400 planes

SpiceJet could buy up to 50 additional Q400 planes from Bombardier under a letter of intent signed at the Paris Air Show.

The India-based airline already operates 20 of the Q400 turboprop planes on domestic and international routes.

If all the planes in the letter of intent are delivered, the order would be valued at up to $1.7 billion (U.S.), before discounts.