IndiGo eyes wet lease to cash in on winter traffic

New Delhi: A slowdown in the delivery of new aircraft has forced India’s biggest airline, IndiGo, to consider the wet-lease option to raise its passenger capacity for the upcoming winter schedule.
The airline is in talks with Lithuanian airline SmallPlanet and troubled European airlines Air Berlin and Alitalia to wet lease at least seven A320 planes, sources close to the development said. While IndiGo has been dry leasing older planes since 2015, this will be the first time the airline will resort to wet lease.

Wet lease, an arrangement under which the lessor airline provides aircraft along with crew, maintenance, etc to the lessee, is costlier than dry lease and may lead to a spike in operational cost for IndiGo. But if the airline does not deploy enough capacity, it fears losing market share, besides lucrative slots at airports.

The arrangement will be only for the winter season, which will end in March 2018.

How a small-time travel agency grew into an aviation company that’s now eyeing a piece of Air India

On August 30, India’s aviation sector came in for a surprise.
Just a few months after the Narendra Modi government announced a plan to sell its stake in the debt-ridden Air India, a media-shy New Delhi-based conglomerate declared its intent to buy one of the few profitable arms of the national carrier.

The Bird Group, with a presence in travel, hospitality, retail, and education, submitted an expression of interest for Air Transport Services, an Air India subsidiary valued at a potential Rs 2,000 crore ($311 million). Air Transport Services, which earned a revenue of Rs 636 crore in 2016, employs over 12,000 people and operates ground-handling services at 70 Indian airports. This involves everything from cleaning aircraft to the loading and unloading of food and beverages and cargo, and managing luggage from the time an aircraft arrives till it departs.

India’s aviation secretary RN Chaubey confirmed on August 30 that the Bird Group’s interest was the second such bid the government had received for AI so far. IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, had earlier submitted an EoI for Air India international operations.

AI, which began in 1932 as Tata Airlines, has been on a steady descent since 2007 when the then government merged Air India with Indian Airlines to create a bigger entity, the National Aviation Company of India Limited. While Air India only flew internationally at that time, Indian Airlines was the government’s domestic carrier. Both Air India and Indian Airlines were making losses, bleeding Rs 541 crore and Rs 240 crore, respectively, in 2007. Since the merger, though, National Aviation Company of India Limited’s combined debt has swelled to Rs60,000 crore, effectively leaving the government with no choice but to sell off the business.

Will the state find luck in the air this time

Ahmedabad: Gatisheel Gujarat doesn’t seem to have much luck in the air. Almost a decade after its first attempt, the government continues to strive for successful intra- State air connectivity. Three failed attempts later, it is back with another plan under Ude Desh ka Har Nagrik (UDAN) scheme. It has invited Deccan Airways and Air Odisha to jointly operate flights within its borders. If all goes well, flights may take off by the end of September. The ministry of civil aviation had announced UDAN scheme in March 2017. Hoping to fulfil its long-cherished dream, the Gujarat government joined the bandwagon. Deccan Airways and Air Odisha won the contract to operate on certain routes in the State. Representatives from both the groups met State government officials and city-based businessmen last week to sort out a few issues. Apparently, they are waiting for clearance from Union aviation ministry. Going by past failures as well as changing policies of State, any apprehension over the fate of a fresh attempt is completely justified.
For the first time, Gujarat had attempted an intra-State flight with State-run Gujarat Air in 2007.

Seaplanes may soon fly in Indian skies

New Delhi: India's tourism industry could soon get a fillip with the re-introduction of seaplanes. Commercial aviation player Spicejet is scheduled to sign a MoU with Japan's Setouchi Holdings next week when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits India, bringing seaplanes back to Indian skies.

TOI has learnt once the agreement is inked, the Indian player will start working on bringing seaplanes to India. Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari has in the past declared his support for seaplanes in the country to promote tourism and improve regional connectivity.

Seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft that can take off and land on waterand on airfields as well. There is huge potential for their use in tourism, not just for leisure but also in case of crises or emergencies since these can reach the remotest areas and can land on water bodies.

Carry 10kg extra on Emirates economy flights to India, Pakistan

Dubai: So you pack your bags, weigh them on that hand-held scale you have at home -- which you only use before travelling -- and find that you still have a couple of kilos to go before you hit the 30kg mark.

You stuff in a few extra things, and the bag now weighs 32kg, two kilos more than the standard economy class checked-in baggage limit.

And the cycle continues...

For travellers such as you, Dubai-based Emirates has introduced a special offer, where you can carry 10-15kg extra on economy-class tickets to select destinations.

Shirdi airport set for take-off on October 1, three airlines to begin ops

Pune: The Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) expects the Shirdi airport to open its doors to flyers from October 1.
MADC vice chairman-cum-managing director Suresh Kakani told TOI that the airport is now ready, and that flight operations will start from October 1. "All the points raised during the DGCA inspection have been fulfilled," Kakani said, "Now, it is just about the start of flight operations. We will get the DGCA licence by next week in all likelihood. However the operation at the airport is set to commence from October 1," the senior bureaucrat said.

Hamleys opens second toy store at Mumbai Airport

Mumbai, GVK MIAL has opened its second dedicated Hamleys toy shop in Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport domestic Terminal 1 today.
The airport company says that this new rendition of the iconic British toy shop will retail ‘an expansive traveller-friendly product range’ which has been specially selected for busy passengers/customers ‘on the go’.
The company said: “In line with the existing trends and international launches, the new store – in addition to offering a vibrant atmosphere at Terminal 1 – will present a range of merchandise that includes innovative products like travel games, amongst others, making for a perfect in-flight entertainment.

AirAsia India introduces three new routes in wake of additional Airbus A320 aircraft to its fleet

Chennai: Domestic low-cost carrier AirAsia India is expanding into three new flights in India on the back of its recently inducted Airbus A320 aircraft.

The new flights will throw open three new routes from Ranchi — one each to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar. The carrier will also increase flight frequency on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad route.

The development comes on the back of a government-led push to increase flights to under-served locations, like Ranchi.

SpiceJet to launch flights to Dibrugarh

New Delhi: SpiceJet on Saturday launched its new domestic destination - Dibrugarh — by introducing daily flight services on the Silchar - Guwahati - Dibrugarh route from October 3, 2017. SpiceJet is the first airline to offer daily direct air connectivity between Guwahati and Dibrugarh.
"SpiceJet is offering all-inclusive introductory promotional fare of Rs 2,199 on the Guwahati-Dibrugarh route and Rs 1,898 on the Dibrugarh-Guwahati route. Booking of tickets is now open. With the launch of the new service, SpiceJet will put Dibrugarh on the pan India aviation map through seamless onward connections on its network. This is in perfect sync with the airline's agenda to connect smaller cities and it further strengthens SpiceJet's focus on North-East India.

Unruly behaviour on a flight can now ground you for life

New Delhi: Reckless behaviour on a flight that endangers others on board could ground you for life. This is part of the rules for India's first ever "no-fly list"+ , issued by the aviation ministry on Friday and now in force.
The list cites three levels of disruptive behaviour. The first is for "unruly physical gestures, verbal harassment and unruly inebriation" which can lead to a ban of up to three months.
The second level is for "physically abusive behaviour (pushing, kicking, hitting and inappropriate touching)" with a ban of up to six months. The final level is for "life-threatening behaviour, including assaults, damage to aircraft systems" that can lead to a ban from two years to a lifetime. The ban will be doubled for repeat offences.

Loaded no-fly rule

New Delhi: Airline passengers may now be refused boarding or offloaded on suspicion that they "are likely to be unruly", according to new rules declared by the civil aviation ministry today.

The rules, which follow several incidents of MPs misbehaving with airline staff, stipulate bans on flying for periods ranging from less than three months to more than two years for actual unruliness, with the duration doubled for repeat offences.

Although the rules define the various levels of actual unruliness, they do not explain who will determine, or how, whether a passenger is likely to become unruly.

"Passengers who are likely to be unruly must be carefully monitored, and if deemed to pose a threat to the safety and security of the flight, fellow passengers or staff while on board aircraft, should be refused embarkation or offloaded," they say.

Digital air traveller initiative in few weeks: Minister

New Delhi: The government is likely to issue the requirements for its digital air travel initiative very soon, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said on Friday.
According to Sinha, the proposal under the initiative mandates that a unique digital identification number be generated at the time of booking a flight ticket.
“We are working on the digital traveller initiative and as part of the initiative the proposal that we have is that a unique digital identification number associated with PNR will be issued,” Sinha told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference here.

Airlines, airport CIOs embracing AI for better customer experience

San Francisco: Airlines and airport Chief Information Officers (CIOs), including in India, are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support their customer service, a new report said on Thursday.

Over the next three years, 52 per cent of airlines plan major AI programmes with 45 per cent of airports to invest in research and development in the next five years.

According to the communications and IT solution provider SITA, airlines are also looking to use technology to minimise the impact of disruption on the passenger experience and their businesses.

Over the next three years, 80 per cent of them plan to invest in major programmes or R&D into prediction and warning systems which rely heavily on AI, the report said.

Air France completes 50 years of Mumbai-Paris flight

Mumbai: Air France added Mumbai to its Far East network and launched flights from Mumbai on September 7, 1967. The airline now operates a daily service between Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport by Boeing 777-220.

Air France began connecting Far East Asia as early as 1930, and its first flights to India were from Jodhpur, Allahabad and Calcutta. As more powerful aircrafts entered the airline industry, it began Boeing flight connecting Paris to Tokyo via New Delhi or Calcutta. By 1967, Mumbai was expanding rapidly, and Air France started the Mumbai-Paris flight.

‘Bareilly airport to be flight ready in 8 months’

Bareilly: In a good news for residents of Rohilkhand and Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, officials of the Airports Authority of India who were in the city on Friday told TOI that the proposed Nath Nagari civil terminal in Bareilly would be ready for take-offs within eight months if they got clearance from the state government.
Confirming this, district magistrate RV Singh said, "In a year, flights may take off from here. If all goes accordingly, the airport will be operational within six months once the construction work starts. As the AAI officials told us that they have floated tenders and work order would be given within two months, we hope flights from Bareilly will take off somewhere between June and August next year."

Jet Airways to focus on direct connectivity between tier-II cities

Mumbai: In a major shift in its domestic route network strategy, Jet AirwaysBSE -1.79 % will now focus on providing direct connectivity between tier-II cities as it aims to penetrate deeper into such markets.

With a market share of a little over 18 per cent, Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways group is facing an intense competition from the low cost carriers, which currently account for over 70 per cent of the total domestic traffic.

This has compelled the Mumbai-based full-service carrier to move to operating station-to-station flights from station-to-hub services till recently.

Jet Airways offers: Airliner spreads festival season cheer, to introduce 56 additional flights

New Delhi: With series of festivals around the corner, Jet Airways is all set to rollout as many as 56 new weekly flights in the months of September and October connecting some key cities of the country. According to PTI, these new flights include a mix of non-stop and one-stop services between some major cities of India which is aimed at meeting the rising demand for aviation services in these cities. “With this special festive campaign, we will further strengthen its footprint across the domestic network that currently comprises 44 cities,” Jet Airways said in a statement.
The statement further stated that the Mumbai-based airline company will introduce daily flights from Pune, connecting to Guwahati via Kolkata as well as to Coimbatore.

Vistara, Japan Airlines to explore 'commercial opportunities'

Vistara will soon finalise plans for international operations, its chief Phee Teik Yeoh said today as it announced plan to jointly explore "commercial opportunities", including code share partnership, with Japan Airlines.

A joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines, the full-service carrier Vistara began commercial operations in January 2015 and has a fleet of 16 aircraft. The number of planes is expected to increase to 20 by March and 22 by June next year.

Under Indian regulations, an airline can fly overseas once it has a fleet of 20 aircraft -- a criterion that would be fulfilled by Vistara by March 2018.

IndiGo to expand; eyes stakes in Jet Airways or Air India

IndiGo Airlines could be interested in investing in Jet Airways  if it doesn't manage to acquire part of Air India , reports Live Mint. According to an anonymous source "briefed on the airline's strategy", IndiGo sees strong opportunity in the international market for a large Indian airline. To that end, it has registered its interest in acquiring the national airline, and is so far the only Indian carrier to do so.

However, it is only interested in taking on Air India's international operations or, as an alternative, one quarter of its domestic ops bundled with its international side. If the government insists on an all-or-nothing scenario, IndiGo will look to Jet Airways, instead. Jet Airways has been on the lookout for a strategic investor since mid-2017.

Kanpur airport to be named after Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi: Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today said the Kanpur airport would be named after Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi and Panki railway station would be named as Panki Dham railway station.

The chief minister was in Kanpur today where he laid the foundation stone and inaugurated projects worth Rs 850 crore for the city.

The chief minister, on the occasion, also laid foundation of nine projects worth Rs 275 crore under the smart city mission project.

Adityanath stressed on maintaining quality of the development works, saying it was necessry to give a momentum to the state's development.
To Read the News in Full 08/09/17 Economic Times

Turkey's Celebi Keen To Buy Air India's Ground Handling Unit

Turkey's Celebi Aviation Holding has shown interest in buying state-owned Air India's ground handling operations, India's aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey said on Friday (8 September).

Celebi, which also provides ground handling services in India, has written to the ministry showing interest to bid for the Indian flag carrier's ground handing operations, Choubey told Reuters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet in June approved plans to privatise Air India after successive governments spent billions of dollars to keep the debt-laden carrier flying.

Celebi is the second firm to show interest in buying Air India's ground handling operations.

Vistara foreign trip plan

New Delhi: Vistara, the two-year old Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture, will launch international flights from the summer of 2018.

"We will reach the fleet strength of 20 aircraft by March next year... this will allow us to start international operations," said Phee Teik Yeoh, chief executive officer of Vistara.

Sources said the full-service carrier planned to launch flights to the US, Europe, Southeast Asia and east Asia.
The airline, at present, has a fleet of 16 aircraft, including three A320 Neos.

The airline has placed orders for another half-a-dozen aircraft, of which four will come by March and the rest in June.

AirAsia India adds one A320 aircraft, to launch 3 new routes

Mumbai: Domestic budget carrier AirAsia India today said it has inducted a new Airbus A320 aircraft in its fleet and will commence flight services to three new routes from Ranchi from next month.

AirAsia India will introduce flights from Ranchi to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar, besides scaling up the frequency on Bengaluru—Hyderabad route, the airline said in a statement.

“We are happy to add new routes connecting tier–II cities, while making air travel affordable to one and all,” Amar Abrol, AirAsia India’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said.

With the induction of the new plane, AirAsia India has now a fleet of 13 A320 aircraft, which are not in sync with its plans of adding 10 aircraft per year, announced at the time of launch in June 2013.

Vistara to go international quicker than expected

New Delhi: Vistara will unveil its international operations quicker than expected, as it will have 20 planes in its fleet by March 2018 — a quarter earlier than anticipated.

This was disclosed by the full service airline’s chief executive officer Phee Teik Yeoh said on Thursday, while announcing a commercial agreement with Japan Airlines. Vistara, which began its operations in January 2015, has 16 aircraft and is expected to get 20 planes by March next year. Airlines in India need to deploy 20 planes on domestic routes before they are allowed to fly on international sectors.

India-Malaysia air traffic flies on Indonesian wings

The busy India-Malaysia air sector is seeing a sudden spike in traffic, thanks to some ingenuity of AirAsia and Lion Group – the two low-cost carriers from Southeast Asia.

The carriers which have exhausted the bilateral rights – the number of seats and flights they can operate to India and back – are using the fifth freedom rights meant for Indonesian airlines to cater to the growing traffic, according to a report by aviation consultant CAPA.

In aviation parlance, fifth freedom (also beyond rights) is the right of an airline to fly passengers from its home country, deposit them at an international destination, and then carry passengers to another international destination.

Vistara to fly abroad after next March, place order for wide body planes

New Delhi: Full service Indian carrier Vistara will launch international operations anytime next year after March. The Tata Sons-Singapore Airlines JV will have 20 planes in its fleet by March 2018, three months ahead of earlier planned schedule to meet this cutoff for Indian airlines to fly abroad. The airline will fly long and medium haul to places like Japan as it plans to induct wide body aircraft in its fleet, apart from places close to India in the range of narrow body planes like its Airbus A-320.
Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeo said: "We are very close to finalizing our plans for international operations. Vistara will fly to places like Japan as that is a very important market. We are very excited by the aircraft order (the airline will place) to support our aggressive overseas plan.

Now ID proof mandatory for booking domestic air tickets

The Centre has made identity proof mandatory for booking of domestic air tickets. This decision has come as a part of the final rules of the "no-fly list" (NFL) that will be issued on Friday.
Once implemented, passengers will have to use the unique identification number on their Aadhaar card or driving licence or passport or pan number to book tickets for flights of domestic airlines, which will in turn serve as a fool-proof method to identify disorderly passengers.

The authorities are even thinking of including the Election Commission voter ID card as a valid ID proof. However, a final decision is yet to be taken.

In case of booking flight tickets to international destinations, passengers will have to provide their passport numbers.

Jet Airways to focus on direct connectivity between tier-II cities

Mumbai: In a major shift in its domestic route network strategy, Jet AirwaysBSE -1.79 % will now focus on providing direct connectivity between tier-II cities as it aims to penetrate deeper into such markets.

With a market share of a little over 18 per cent, Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways group is facing an intense competition from the low cost carriers, which currently account for over 70 per cent of the total domestic traffic.

Year on, night flights yet to take off from Srinagar Airport

Srinagar: Despite nod by the Union Defence Ministry, operation of night flights is still a distant dream at Srinagar International Airport as the authorities blame lack of response and decline in tourist influx for delay.
Officials informed that after Indian Air Force and Defence Ministry gave nod to the operation of night flights at Srinagar Airport following “public pressure”, the state government decided to start night operations from lone airport in the summer capital from February 2016.
However, officials said the facility could not take off due to poor response and fear of losses by airlines.

Haryana announces incentives for airlines willing to operate from Hisar airport

Chandigarh: To develop Hisar airport into an integrated aviation hub in three phases, the Haryana government has announced additional incentives to airlines or operators under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN of the central government for starting these flights in the state.
While stating this on Monday, a spokesman of the civil aviation department said the government would provide Viability Gap Funding (VGF) on balance 50 per cent seats in addition to the VGF being provided by the Centre on RCS seats on assumption of nine seats on 18 to 20 seater aircraft with three departures in a week.

IndiGo Announces Fresh Sale With Fares Starting Just Above Rs. 1,000

IndiGo is offering discounted one-way fares starting at Rs. 1,005 on select domestic routes. The Rs. 1,005 fares are applicable on flights from Bagdogra  to Guwahati, according to the IndiGo website. A search on the airline's website - goindigo.in - showed the fare available in mid-September period. "An additional, non-refundable convenience fee of INR 200 per passenger per sector will be levied on all online payments made through Net Banking/ Credit Cards/Debit Cards (or SGD 10/AED 20/THB 105/OMR 2/NPR 320/USD 10/QAR 20)," IndiGo added. The airline, however, did not specify the number of seats available under the offer.
Chennai-Bengaluru (Rs. 1,174), Delhi-Jaipur (Rs. 1,178), Jammu-Srinagar (Rs. 1,220), Ahmedabad-Mumbai (Rs. 1,230), Agartala-Guwahati (Rs. 1,259) and Coimbatore-Chennai (Rs. 1,268) are few other routes to check under IndiGo's offer.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport bags Confederation of Indian Industry award

Hyderabad: GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), has been awarded the ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ at the prestigious 18th National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Buddhadeb Shome representing GHIAL received the award from Ajay Mishra, Spl Chief Secretary (energy division), Telangana, at a ceremony held here on Monday.

Vistara adds Kolkata-Delhi flight with special inflight menu

Vistara, a joint venture between Tata group and Singapore Airlines, today announced an additional daily flight between Delhi and Kolkata during the festive seasons, effective tomorrow.

An airlines spokesperson said that the additional flight, the third daily flight between Kolkata and Delhi, would operate until October 28, but may continue depending on the response.

Vistara would also serve authentic Bengal dishes on its flights from Kolkata throughout the month of September to celebrate Durga Puja festival with its customers.

The festive menu onboard Vistara includes dishes such as Chicken Kabiraji (Chicken fried coated with a mixture of egg and breadcrumbs), Kosha Aloo Dum (whole baby potatoes mingling in an enticing tomato gravy cooked on slow fire) and Kasha Mangsho (Mutton tender simmered on slow fire with fried onions, yoghurt, cinnamon, green cardamom and bay leaves).

AirAsia India appoints Cargo Flash as their technology partner

AirAsia India and Ascent Air has selected Cargo Flash as their IT service provider for their industry proven systems and state-of-the-art cutting edge technology. AirAsia India has recently awarded Ascent Air, a group company of Group Concorde as their General Sales Agent (GSA) – cargo across Pan India.

From their complete suite of products, Cargo Flash will provide AirAsia India with Cargo Reservations and Operations System along with dynamic MIS.

Vistara adds Ranchi to its network

New Delhi: Vistara, a joint venture between Tata and Singapore Airlines, today announced the addition of Ranchi as the 21st destination in its network.
The full-service carrier will operate two flights a day between Delhi and Ranchi, effective October 29, the airline said in a statement
Bookings are now open with one-way fares starting from Rs 2,199, Vistara added.
Vistara operates 660 weekly flights and has a fleet of 16 A320 aircraft.
To Read the News in Full 06/09/17 PTI/Business Standard

India, Japan set to sign ‘open skies’ agreement

New Delhi: India has finalised an Open Skies Agreement with Japan, allowing designated airlines of both signatory countries to operate freely.

This is likely to be formalised during Japanese Prime Minister Shino Abe’s visit to India later this month. The agreement may allow airlines from Japan to fly directly to Chennai and Bengaluru.

All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines and Air India are the only carriers that connect the two countries, now.

Japan joins a growing number of countries with which India has an open skies agreement. These include the US (2005), Jamaica, Guyana, Czech Republic, Finland, Spain, Sri Lanka (last year) and with Greece (2017).
To Read the News in Full 03/09/17 Business Line

Six flights to operate daily from Shirdi airport

Nashik: As many as six flights will operate daily from Shirdi airport initially , connecting the temple town with Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
The final nod to start operations from the airport from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected soon before the operations begin by the end of September.
Sources in Maharashtra Airports Development Company (MADC), the nodal agency that has developed the airport, said while Alliance Air (a subsidiary of Air India) would operate four flights to Mumbai and one to Delhi, private airline TruJet would fly between Shirdi and Hyderabad.
State aviation secretary Valsa Nair Singh confirmed that the department is expecting DGCA to give its nod by mid-September and flight operations would kick off by this month end.
To Read the News in Full 04/09/17 Tushar Pawar/Times of India

Will relaunch low-cost airline soon, says Air Deccan founder

Mysuru: Air Deccan founder Captain G.R. Gopinath has disclosed that he is relaunching a low cost airline to connect small airports and small cities including Mysuru in a couple of months.

Regretting selling off his airlines to liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya, the aviation veteran said  that since there was an agreement with Mallya that he would not start another airline for six years, he had to hold on.  With the launch of the Udaan programme of the Union government, the atmosphere is conducive to relaunch the airline, he said.

HAL airport might soon be open for diverted flights

The Ministry of Civil Aviation recently announced that it is mulling the option to use the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad to operate regional flights during the upcoming winter to decongest Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Similarly, the now defunct HAL airport in the city too could become operational for flights which are diverted from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) during the winter season or whenever flights are unable to land at KIA in Devanahalli.

The ministry is considering this option and seeking information from the civil aviation regulator if defunct airports can be used during circumstances such as diversions.

AirAsia India to fly overseas in 2018

Low-cost carrier AirAsia India aims to take to international skies by late next year, by when its fleet is expected to include 21 aircraft.

Sharing details of international plans, AirAsia India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Amar Abrol said, “When we touch 21 planes next year, we look to fly international. We’re evaluating destinations that could be connected through 4.5- to 5-hour flights from India.”

The airline, a JV between Tata Sons and AirAsia Berhad of Malaysia, is likely to utilise a strong (AirAsia) presence in Southeast Asia, with existing stations. “It is a lot easier to fly to an existing station, as we have a captive market and infrastructure. It doesn’t mean that we won’t look at other destinations, which we eye tapping over a period of time,” Abrol hinted.

Southeast Asian countries, predominantly Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia, are popular tourist hubs. By connecting with AirAsia’s home base of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the airline is bullish on connections to Australia as well.

Jammu Airport gets new look without extended airstrip

To the much delight and convenience of passengers traveling through Jammu Airport, the expansion project of Terminal Building was recently completed by the Airports Authority of India team and dedicated to public.  The upgraded passenger terminal was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, P Ashok Gajapati Raju along with Union Minister in PMO with independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, last month.
With the commissioning of Rs 90 crore modernization and expansion of the airport terminal project, the passengers at the Jammu Airport are now getting enhanced facilities coupled with modern technology.

Low-cost carriers set to offer Europe link for Rs 12,000

Mumbai: Long haul, low cost—the air travel game changer that has mainstreamed in Europe, the US, Southeast Asia and Australia is likely to debut in India in a year. These flights would not just be offered by Indian low-cost carriers (LCC), but also a couple of foreign airlines. If Indian LCCs SpiceJet and IndiGo delay launching long-haul international flights, Singapore Airlines' low-cost subsidiary, Scoot, might steal a march over them as it has a privilege that allows it to operate direct flights between India and Europe.
Called the "fifth freedom" rights, these permit a carrier to operate direct flights between two foreign countries. "Since we have fifth freedom, we can operate direct flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata to destinations like Copenhagen, Vienna, Cairo and Manchester," Bharath Mahadevan, head of Scoot in India, told TOI.

Surge in air travel bookings during this Diwali: Report

Mumbai: With Diwali round the corner, there has been an increase in air travel as 1.3 time more customers are travelling during Diwali this year as compared to same time last year, according to 'Diwali Festive Airfare Trends'.

"There has been 1.3 times more customers travelling during Diwali this year as compared to last year," according to online travel company MakeMyTrip's 'Diwali Festive Airfare Trends'.

It also revealed that in the top sectors, the fares have increased by up to 30 per cent, with festivities still one month away - signalling a huge advance purchase.

Air India resumes Ludhiana-Delhi flight from Sahnewal after three years

Ludhiana: The national carrier Air India resumed its Ludhiana-Delhi flight from the domestic airport Sahnewal on Saturday, almost three years after the flight was discontinued in 2014 due to financial losses and lack of facilities at the airport.
The 70-seater ATR-72 plane (of Alliance Air under Air India) carrying 41 passengers landed at Sahnewal airport at 1.50 pm and then departed for Delhi with 48 passengers.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Pawan Kumar, assistant manager, air traffic control, Sahnewal airport, said the flight would be operational four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday).
He said that from Monday onwards, it would be leaving at 3 pm from Delhi and landing at Sahnewal airport at 4.15 pm. Then it would leave for Delhi at 4.45 pm and reach Delhi at 6 pm.

Cathay Pacific eyeing more tie-ups with Indian carriers

Mumbai: Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag carrier, is open to more tie-ups with Indian carriers, Mark Sutch, Regional General Manager for South Asia, West Asia and Africa, told BusinessLine. The airline already has interline agreements — commercial agreements between airlines which ease passenger travel through one to another — with Air India and Jet Airways.

“The Indian aviation market is growing faster than anywhere else in the world,” Sutch said. “We’re making real investments in India and increasing capacity by flying bigger planes since we can’t increase frequency. There are government-to-government bilateral agreements between India and Hong Kong and we’ve reached where we can with that.”

Airport to increase fine amount

Pune: From now on, Pune Airport visitors have to pay a Rs-2,000 fine for overstaying their welcome. Deliberations about the halting time went on for months and the airport authorities even did away with a time limit after passenger complaints, only to zero in on a 15-20 minute halt as permissible to avoid vehicular congestion, overshooting which would invite a fine of Rs 200. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), Pune, has now increased that fine amount to Rs 2,000.

"We want to bring strict discipline at the Lohegaon airport as the number of vehicles coming here daily has drastically increased in the last few years. Most of them are cabs, which come to drop or pick up someone from the airport and keep on halting for hours. So, we have decided to increase the fine from Rs 200 to Rs 2,000 from next week for vehicles that halt for more than 15 to 20 minutes inside the airport," Pune Airport director Ajay Kumar told Mirror.

AAI Clears Air On Flight Services From Rourkela

Rourkela: Bringing an end to uncertainty over the much anticipated launch of commercial air services from Rourkela, the Airport Authority of India has given nod to the commencement of flight services after state government’s consent to provide necessary CISF and Fire Services facilities.

Air connectivity to the steel city under the central government’s ambitious ‘Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik’ (UDAN) scheme was scheduled to begin this September but due to lack of CISF and Fire Services facilities the AAI had dropped Rourkela from the list of selected cities included in the first phase of the regional air connectivity scheme.

Trujet launches Hyderabad-Mysore services under regional connectivity scheme

Hydeabad:  No frills airliner Trujet of Turbo Megha Airways has announced the launch of Hyderabad-Mysore flight under the regional connectivity scheme.

A promoter of regional connectivity, the airline covers unserved sectors, including Nanded and Kadapa, and has now added Mysore. This is part of the UDAN scheme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which seeks to boost regional connectivity.

Vankayalapati Umesh, Managing Director, Turbo Megha Airways, said: “Air connectivity to Mysore from Hyderabad is part of the efforts to connect the under served cities with the big metros. We hope this will contribute towards the overall economic growth.”

Allahabad airport may get new terminal before Jan 2019 Ardh Kumbh

New Delhi: This is perhaps the tightest deadline that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has ever accepted for constructing a brand new passenger terminal. The authority on Wednesday decided to build a terminal at the defence air base of Allahabad before the holy city hosts the Ardh Kumbh in January 2019.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath had asked the aviation ministry recently to see if Allahabad could get a big passenger terminal before the Ardh Kumbh. "Allahabad currently has only ATR aircraft operations of Air India.

Andhra Pradesh: Speed up works on airports – Dinesh Kumar

Vijayawada: Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar directed the officials concerned to speed up the integration works of various airports in AP.

In a meeting on infra and power projects,  on Thursday at the Secretariat, the Chief Secretary has elicited the details about the expansion works of airports. He also suggested to the officals to take up measures to increase flight services in proportion with the rise in the number of air travellers.

The CS observed that there is a notable rise in the number of air passengers travelling from Kadapa airport, when compared to the last year.

Chennai-Tiruchi-Chennai service of Alliance Air launched

Tiruchi: Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, launched its service in the Chennai – Tiruchi – Chennai sector here on Thursday.

A water salute was given to the brand new Alliance Air ATR 600 type aircraft, moments after it landed here in the morning from Chennai with 57 passengers on board.

The airline will operate a daily service in the sector henceforth. The flight will leave Chennai at 7.35 a.m. and arrive at Tiruchi at 8.35 a.m. After a half-an-hour halt, the aircraft will leave Tiruchi at 9.05 a.m. and land at Chennai at 10.20 a.m.

Air India business class, 'Executive Class' upgrade guide

Just because you’re booked to fly in economy with Air India doesn’t mean you can’t fly like a Maharajah in 'Executive Class' (business class), as you may be able to fly up front by upgrading using frequent flyer points, cold hard cash, or in some cases, even for free.

You won’t need to have frequent flyer points in Air India’s own Flying Returns program, either, as you can use points or miles from more popular schemes like Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus and United MileagePlus for your bump-up too.

Whatever your plan may be for escaping economy travel, this ‘how-to’ guide has you covered.
As you’d expect, business class upgrades on Air India are all subject to availability, and upgrades may not necessarily be available on every flight.

India Air Traffic Growth Likely to Slow in 2017

New Delhi: Some metro airports continue to have issues in India as capacity is increasing, said IATA chief economist Brian Pearce.

India's airlines are likely to see slower growth this year because of fuel price increases and a marginal slowdown in the economy, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

"You would expect it to slow because the economy has slowed--not very much--and we are getting towards the end of big stimulus from the fall in oil prices," IATA chief economist Brian Pearce said in a interview. Pearce said he expects the airlines to clock a domestic growth in low double digits this year compared with about 20% last year when it touched almost 100 million in annual passengers flown.

"We are not getting a price stimulus from oil. We had a big stimulus from oil in 2016 much less in 2017," he said, adding that Indian airlines increased capacity by about 14% in the last 12 months and that process will continue.

Pearce said oil prices will remain around $50 this year but could go up next year.

Land still not available to start night landing at Srinagar airport

Srinagar: It is more than a year since clearance was given for the start of night landing at Srinagar International Airport, yet the facility remains uninstalled.
Director of Srinagar International Airport, Sharad Kumar, told Kashmir Reader that the airport lacks additional 600 metres of lighting for the start of the facility, the land required for which is yet to be procured.
“Otherwise, all other requirements are complete,” he said. “Once we are able to procure the land, which we have to get from the state government, the lighting will be put in place. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will give clearance and the facility will start.”
The Srinagar airport occupies a small corner of the massive IAF airbase which controls it. The airport land has actually been leased out to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) by the IAF and houses the terminal building where passengers check-in and depart. The AAI also controls the apron area (where an aircraft is parked) while the airspace and runway control is with the IAF.

Bird Group interested in acquiring Air India's ground handling business

New Delhi: Aviation service provider Bird Group has shown interest to bid for Air India’s ground handling unit Air India Air Transport Services Limited (AIATSL).

A Bird Group spokesperson confirmed the development and said it has written to the ministry of civil aviation expressing interest to buy AIATSL. "We have told the government that if it decides to sell the subsidiary separately to unlock maximum value, we will bid for the ground handling unit," said a company official.

Earlier, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Nayan Choubey told reporters that the group has sent an expression of interest (EoI) for the same.

Direct flights to Singapore, Dubai from Vijaywada on cards; Silk Air, Emirates keen on operations

Vijayawada: If all goes well, denizens of the city can directly fly to international destinations like Singapore and Dubai without having to go to other cities like Hyderabad for a connecting flight.
Two airlines - Silk Air and Emirates are considering introduction of direct flight services from the city to Singapore and Dubai respectively. Until now, high flyers from the city are going to places like Hyderabad to take flights to these destinations. Silk Air has already conducted a preliminary survey to find out the potential in the city and held several rounds of talks with local travel agents. Emirates, the Gulf's popular airline, is said to be in talks at the Union government level on bilateral seat quota to introduce a direct flight to Dubai from Vijayawada city.
Notably, an international terminal is getting ready at Vijayawada airport to handle international flights and passengers.

Cathay Pacific to boost passenger, cargo capacity in India with bigger planes

New Delhi: Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, under pressure from mainland Chinese carriers, plans to increase its passenger and cargo business in India where yields are holding up better than at home, a senior company executive told Reuters.

Cathay, which can only operate a limited number of flights to India due to bilateral constraints, plans to fly bigger planes between Mumbai and Hong Kong to boost its passenger and cargo capacity, Mark Sutch, regional general manager for South Asia, Middle East and Africa, said in an interview on Thursday.

“The Indian economy is pretty vibrant and the growth here is significantly higher than many countries,” said Sutch, adding India and China were two markets where Cathay saw a big future.

Drones are free-flying birds in Delhi skies

Despite deploying over 20 teams to track an unmanned flying object that disrupted operations at the Delhi Airport for two hours last week, the Delhi police couldn't track its operators. Security experts claim that it is 'herculean task' to nab the drone operator near airport due to fast moving traffic and several wedding venues where drones are 'illegally' used to film aerial shots.
However, it is believed that most drones sighted by the pilots during landing and take-off are the ones used by wedding photographers. These drones are hired to capture a bird-eye view of weddings that take place near the airport.

Qatar firm on India airline plan

Qatar Airways is firm on its plan to start an airline in India despite facing business challenges because of sanctions imposed on Qatar by some Gulf countries.

“India is a big market and we will definitely start operations there,” Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said after inaugurating the carrier’s direct flight from Doha to Prague in the Czech Republic.

Asked if Qatar Airways would bid for Air India, which the Centre recently decided to privatise, he said the airline was not interested in buying India’s national carrier as “we want to launch our own airline.”

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are among countries that have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed what Mr. Al Baker described as “illegal sanctions on my country” for its alleged support to militant groups.

Chandigarh Airport to reduce operations from October 3 for upgrade and repairs

New Delhi: Chandigarh airport will curtail daily flight operation timings starting October 3 for upgrade and repairs, a move opposed by airlines, which said they didn’t get adequate advance notice. The airport will stop functioning from 3 pm to 5 am daily, airline executives said.

The Federation of Indian Airlines opposed the plan and asked the Indian Air Force, which owns the airport, to shift renovation timings to night to minimise impact. Runway work will result in restricted operating hours, the federation said in a letter earlier this month. Airlines had planned to increase daily flights from 74 to 84 in the winter schedule and closure every afternoon will affect 28 flights, it said.

Ground Handling in Airport Now Essential Service in Meghalaya

Following a direction by the Centre, Meghalaya Cabinet on Thursday approved the amendment of the Meghalaya Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1980 to include ground handling of the airports as part of essential services.

“We have approved amendment of the Act in order to include ground handling services of the airport under its purview,” Deputy Chief Minister Roytre C Laloo told reporters after the meeting held in Shillong.

Northeast India’s air connectivity to get major boost with deployment of small aircraft & choppers!

Giving a major boost to air connectivity in hilly and island regions of the country through helicopters, ministry of civil aviation has relaxed a few norms to attract more players. The ministry, under its second edition of UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, is also trying to give more connectivity to regional places. Some of the major relaxations include dilution of exclusivity clause that mandated that only one airline flies on one route in the initial years.

It has also relaxed the rule that the origin and destination airports must be 150 km apart to qualify for the regional connectivity scheme (RCS) under which fares are capped at Rs 2,500 per hour of flying. The ministry claims these initiatives will connect new destinations through air routes, allow travelers to save time and enable people from small-towns to take their first flights.

Modalities for operation 24x7 flights from Srinagar airport reviewed

Srinagar—Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan Thursday convened a meeting to review the modalities for starting round the clock flights from Srinagar International Airport.
Additional Commissioner Kashmir, Additional Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Director Airport Authority of India, Chief Administrative Officer Air-force Station, Representative of ADG Headquarters, ASP Anti Hijack Srinagar Airport, Deputy Director Planning, Station Managers of Airline operators and other concerned officials were present in the meeting.
The meeting discussed operational feasibility and infra requirements to start operations of 24X7 flights like high mast lights for funnel area, approach lights, surveillance, watch towers at strategic locations, adequate lighting for proper visual profiling of vehicles, adequate security, land acquisition and other issues.