Leave travel concession scam: Delhi to Jaipur via Brazil

NEW DELHI: Would anyone in their right mind go from Delhi to Jaipur via Sao Paulo? Or travel from Mumbai to Port Blair via Dubai? The suggestion is crazy, you might say. But this is precisely what a couple of top PSU officials have done to claim their leave travel concession (LTC).

Indian aviation companies prone to becoming distressed assets : India Ratings

Mumbai: Airlines operating in India require strong and supportive promoters to improve their viability amid a challenging operating environment, according to an India Ratings & Research report.
Aviation companies are prone to becoming distressed assets due to their cost structure-related inefficiencies, driven by taxation, regulatory issues, high financial leverage and chronic cash flow generation issues, the report said. Globally, the airline sector is vulnerable to cyclical demand due to capital intensity and price wars.

81 foreign airlines operating 1,734 flights per week in India

New Delhi:  Foreign airlines are operating over 1,700 flights per week to and from 25 Indian airports, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today.
In reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Singh said 81 foreign airlines were operating a total of 1,734 scheduled services per week.

Qatar Airways eyes minority stake in GoAir: Sources

Budget carrier GoAir is likely to get a foreign partner soon. CNBC-TV18 learns from sources that Qatar Airways is eyeing a minority stake in Wadia Group promoted GoAir.
Qatar’s national carrier has valued GoAir at USD 550 million and if the deal goes through, promoters of the Mumbai-based no frills carrier will continue to hold majority stake. However, Qatar Air will have right to hike stake if the deal concludes, sources further add.
Read News In full 22/08/13 moneycontrol.com

Capt Gopinath finally seals land deal with Sobha Developers

Bangalore: Capt Gopinath's turbulent flight to find a safe landing spot and fend off auction of his prime residential property in Bangalore by State Bank of India has led him to align finally with publicly-held Bangalore-based real estate company - Sobha Developers.
In a recently concluded transaction, Sobha Developers is understood to have acquired Capt Gopinath’s residential property spread over 16,200 sq feet in one of the most premium localities in Bangalore where the price of land starts at around Rs 21,000 per square feet.

'23 cabin crew members failed pre-flight alcohol test'

New Delhi: Twenty-three cabin crew members of Indian carriers were found positive for alcohol in pre-flight breath analyser tests this year and action has been taken against them, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Mumbai shifts to single runway to boost flight capacity

Mumbai: Cross-runway flight operations at Mumbai airport, given the green signal by the ministry of civil aviation in 2009, have been scrapped after airport officials argued simultaneous use of both runways was reducing the airport's capacity.

UP Cabinet okays land for airport's expansion

Kanpur: The state Cabinet on Tuesday paved the way for a modern airport in the city. The Cabinet decided to provide 50 acres of land free of cost to Airport Authority of India for the modernization and expansion of the Chakeri airport. Besides, the government also decided to provide land for three more airports in the state.

AI Dreamliner set for Australia flight

New Delhi: Air India will start flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Australia from August 29.
The move is part of the national carrier’s plan to expand its global footprint.
“We had in our financial turnaround plan made a decision to use the Dreamliner for long-haul, non-stop flights. The Melbourne, Sydney circuit has a lot of traffic and is profitable. So, we will be starting flights on this route from August 29,” a senior Air India official said.

'Improved infrastructure can cut airport delays'

Mumbai:  Mumbai airport has switched to using a single runway to enhance its flight handling capacity, but lack of proper infrastructure has made delays almost perennial at the airport, say senior officials.

Air passenger held for attempting to smuggle in rough diamonds

Mumbai: An Indian passenger has been arrested at the international airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle in 4.9 kg of rough diamonds valued at Rs 1 crore from the United Arab Emirates, a customs official said yesterday.
Prashant Harsora had arrived from Sharjah on an Air Arabia Airline flight at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Sunday, a Customs Air Intelligence Unit officer told PTI.
rEAD NEWS IN FULL 22/08/13 PTI/India Tv News

Dabolim gold seizure trail points to Sri Lankan smuggler

Panaji: The catch of gold by the customs at the Dabolim airport has revealed the involvement of a Sri Lankan smuggler, but more details will be available only after a couple of days, officials said on Wednesday.

Iranian saffron seized from passenger at MIA

Mangalore: Customs officials at Mangalore International Airport seized Begonia brand of Iranian saffron weighing 12kgs from a passenger who arrived from Dubai on Thursday.

Indian held at Dhaka airport, 8 kg gold seized

Dhaka: An Indian national was arrested and 65 gold bars weighing eight kilograms were seized from him at the Shahjalal International Airport.

Lid off leave travel concession racket: Govt, PSU employees to face CBI heat

NEW DELHI: The CBI has been called in by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to investigate a widespread racket in claims of leave travel concession (LTC) involving central government and public sector employees as well as travel agents.

Air India's Dreamliners in Japanese air pocket

New Delhi: Air India's (AI) plan to launch fuel-efficient Dreamliner flights from Delhi to the Far East as part of the strategy to turnaround its loss-making operations has run into the Japanese barrier.
Japan's civil aviation authorities have asked AI for details of modifications in its Dreamliner fleet along with various clearances from the US Federal Aviation Authority and International Civil Aviation Organisation before it is given clearance to operate these flights to Tokyo or Osaka.

Aviation to witness worse performance going ahead on weak rupee

New Delhi: With nearly 70% to 75% of their operational cost tied to the US dollar, most Indian carriers say that they could be facing one of their worst quarters after a long time. Especially at a time when competition and a non-peak travel season has forced them not to hike fares at all.
50% of the operational costs of most airlines especially the LCCs are due to ATF fuel which is imported and is pegged to the dollar.

DGCA bans unauthorized overseas charter flights

New Delhi: A number of Indian charter aircraft companies are operating overseas flights without having the clearance to do so. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday issued an order forbidding unauthorized foreign charter flights with immediate effect and asked the operators to first get all the required clearances.

Aviation security market to cross Rs 31,000 cr by 2015: Assocham

New Delhi: The country's aviation security market is likely to cross Rs 31,000 crore by 2015 from the current level of over Rs 16,000 crore, says a study by industry body Assocham.
The airport security market, which comprises segments like security, disaster response, identification, manning and cyber security is currently growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 25%, according to a study titled 'India Homeland Security Market: An Emerging Opportunity'.

Air India to begin new services linking Mumbai to Gwalior and Agra from Sept 9

New Delhi:  Air India is to start new flights linking Mumbai to Gwalior and Agra. In addition, the airline will also start operating on the Delhi-Allahabad-Mumbai sector.

High aircraft lease rentals force airlines to rethink biz model

New Delhi: Domestic airlines are beginning to find operating flights on leased aircraft a tad worrisome as a weak rupee has made rentals the fastest-growing expense item for them.
Among listed airlines, Jet Airways’ lease rentals grew nearly 32% to R364.48 crore in the first quarter of fiscal 2013-14 even as all other expenses, apart from employee costs, came down. Low-cost competitor SpiceJet, which recently embarked on a sale-and-lease back model, also faced a 12% increase in lease rentals during the quarter and ended up paying R219.79 crore compared to R196.25 crore in the same quarter last year.

Agra seeks cut in aviation fuel VAT

Agra: As Air India readies to start flights between Agra and Mumbai from Sep 9, local tourism industry leaders here have demanded that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav make good his promise to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on aviation fuel.

SpiceJet to start Pune-Sharjah flight

Mumbai: Low cost airline SpiceJet today announced the launch of direct services between Pune and Sharjah that will begin from September 21.
The airline will be deploying its New Generation Boeing 737-800 (189 seater aircraft) on this route, SpiceJet said in a release issued here.

Virgin Atlantic Airways eyeing growth in India

Mumbai: Virgin Atlantic Airways is eyeing a bigger pie of the lucrative India-US market, Craig Kreeger, its CEO said yesterday, as per a Business Standard report. He ruled out investment in an Indian carrier, saying Virgin Atlantic was in talks with global airlines for code-sharing on its routes within the UK. “We are seeing growth in the India-US market. The combination of our excellent timing and our products and services is working well for us,” Kreeger said.

Three conduits held at Goa airport for smuggling gold

Panaji: Three persons, including two Sri Lankan nationals, were arrested at Dabolim airport in Goa for allegedly smuggling over 4 kg of gold, valued at Rs 1.33 crore, Customs officials said today.
The seizure has rung alarm bells in the department which believes that the incident is not an isolated one and could be an indication of the revival of gold smuggling through air and porous sea routes in the coastal state.

Bill in LS to replace DGCA by new regulator

New Delhi: A bill to replace the DGCA by a new regulator for the Indian aviation sector, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Indecision has Air India losing Dreamliners on Japanese, Korean routes

Mumbai: State-owned Air India's plan to operate a Dreamliner on the Delhi-Tokyo route could not take off as the airline's management failed to furnish the required information about the aircraft sought by the Japanese authorities, sources said.

Drunk on duty, airport agency staffers sacked

Kolkata: Never mind if bars were shut on Independence Day. Two employees of Impressions, the Delhi-based facility management firm that is responsible for maintaining Terminal 2 at Kolkata airport, converted a corner of the snazzy terminal into a cozy lounge to enjoy a drink.

London to Delhi, lenders & lessors pile suits against UB

Bangalore: The lenders’ consortium of Kingfisher Airlines, parallely with the latter’s lessors and vendors, are pushing the UB Group to a corner to recover their dues. They have dismissed UB Group chairman Vijay Mallya’s statements on being hopeful of restarting the airline.

Objections raised following Air India Express’ decision to slash baggage allowance

Abu Dhabi: Strong objections have been raised following Air India Express’ decision to slash its free baggage allowance, representatives of various socio-cultural organisations in Abu Dhabi announced on Saturday.

Air India art collection goes on exhibit for first time

New Delhi: For the first time, Air India's iconic collection of artworks by Indian masters M F Husain, S H Raza, B Prabha and Anjali Ela Menon among others housed in its various offices across the country have been brought together at an exhibition here.

SpiceJet discount offer for defence personnel

Pune: Low fare airline SpiceJet has announced a special discount offer for defence personnel as part of the Independence Day initiative. Booking of tickets under this scheme will remain open and will be valid for travel till August 31 .

Air India's latest Dreamliner develops serious snag

Mumbai: The problems with Boeing Dreamliner continue as the eighth aircraft which was to be delivered earlier this month to Air India has developed some serious snag in its electrical circuit. Its back up system too was not functioning, sources said.

Airlines may face Rs 2,700 cr in Q2 losses on slashed fares

New Delhi: The spate of discounts being offered by domestic airlines over the last two weeks in the lead-up to Independence Day, is expected to result in a combined loss of R2,400 crore to R2,700 crore for the airline industry during the second quarter of fiscal 2013-14, according to aviation consultancy firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa). The estimates do not take in to account Kingfisher Airlines as it is not operating.

Agra-Mumbai flights to become reality soon

Agra is likely to to be connected to Mumbai by air before the start of the new tourist season in September.

"We have been informed by the civil aviation ministry that a flight will soon connect Agra to Mumbai," Rajiv Tiwari, president of the Federation of Travel Agents Association, told IANS.
Read nws in full 17/08/13 IANS/Daily News & Analysis

SC asks Subramanian Swamy to move Delhi HC on his plea challenging clearance to AirAsia

New Delhi:  The Supreme Court on Friday asked former MP Subramanian Swamy to move the Delhi High Court with his plea challenging clearance given to proposed low-cost airline AirAsia India.
A bench headed by Justice B S Chauhan said it was not making any observation on merits of the matter and asked Swamy to move the high court which can hear him in detail.

Air passenger traffic grew 7.25 per cent in July

New Delhi: Domestic air passenger traffic grew 7.25 percent in July, the civil aviation ministry said on Friday.
According to data furnished by the ministry, domestic traffic in July stood at 48.66 lakh, from 45.37 lakh passengers ferried during the corresponding month last year.

Security clearance issue may delay AirAsia India launch

AirAsia India will not receive its airline licence for some more time, potentially delaying its launch, because the proposed venture of Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd, Telestra, and Tata Sons Ltd has just applied for security clearance for chairman S. Ramadorai.

Kingfisher Airlines lenders stumped as value of pledged properties crashes

Mumbai:  Lenders to Kingfisher Airlines may end up recovering only a small portion of their loans to the bankrupt airline after discovering that two marquee properties given as collateral are worth less than what was claimed by Kingfisher Airlines.

Stray dogs delay flights at Chennai airport; 100 passengers in a narrow escape

Chennai: Over 100 passengers on a SpiceJet flight from Kolkata had a narrow escape when the alert pilot spotted a stray dog entering the runway as the aircraft approached Chennai airport for landing on Wedn­esd­ay night.

27-year-old who fell off airport escalator dies

Mumbai: Twenty seven-year-old Siddhesh Borkar, who fell off an escalator at Mumbai airport's domestic terminal on July 29, died on Wednesday after battling his injuries for 15 days. His family alleged that he died from negligence on the part of both the airport and the airline he flew.
"I have lost my only son. Who will take care of us now," sobbed his father Rohidas Borkar. Siddhesh Borkar was the only earning member of the family, which is in deep shock at his sudden death.

Use of cell phones banned in operational areas of airports

New Delhi: In order to reduce air traffic accidents and prevent distraction during sensitive air traffic operations on the ground, Airport Authority of India (AAI) under the Civil Aviation Ministry has banned the use of cell phones in operational areas.

Indo-Canadian convicted for bribery in Air India contract

Toronto: An Indian-origin Canadian citizen has been convicted by a court in Ottawa of conspiring to bribe Air India officials and an Indian minister to the tune of USD 450,000 in a failed bid to secure a lucrative contract for an airline security system.

Indian airlines betting on hotel bookings via own sites

Mumbai: India's three top airlines - Jet Airways, Indigo and Air India - are planning more tie-ups with hotel operators and aggregators for budget as well as two and three star hotels on their websites in order to boost their ancillary revenue.

IndiGo to launch 2 daily Delhi-Ranchi flights

New Delhi: Expanding its domestic network, low cost carrier IndiGo today announced launching of two daily flights to Jharkhand's capital Ranchi from here via Patna.
The new flights are most likely to have corporate and leisure passengers travelling to and from Ranchi and to neighbouring Jamshedpur.

Soon, pre-paid cabbies can't fleece you at airport

Mumbai: Passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) will no more be fleeced by touts and taxi drivers.
The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) authorities will soon be launching a new system in which a passenger booking a pre-paid cab will be provided with the registration number of the vehicle in which he/she will be travelling.

Poor response to first two Flybuses

Mysore: Flybus, a Bangalore-Mysore luxury service introduced by KSRTC, saw poor occupancy on its maiden journey from Mysore on Thursday.
The authorities hope that business will pick up soon. There were 5 and 8 passengers respectively on the inaugural trip, against the total seating capacity of 40.

Kingfisher Airlines Q1 net loss widens to Rs 1,157 crore

Mumbai:  Kingfisher Airlines on Wednesday said its net loss for the April to June quarter widened as the company continued to incur costs while its operations have been grounded. The Vijay Mallya-controlled carrier posted a net loss of Rs1,156.91 crore for the April-June quarter compared to a net loss of Rs650.78 crore a year earlier. Kingfisher said its accumulated losses as of March 31 were Rs 16,023 crore and its net worth a negativeRs12,920 crore.

Kingfisher Airlines invites sharp criticism from auditors over revival plan

New Delhi: Grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines' decision to consider it a 'going concern' entity, despite having accumulated huge losses and defaulted on loans, has come for a sharp criticism by its own auditors, given a lack of clarity about its revival plans.

Govt to Start New Infra Projects, 8 New Airports: PM

New Delhi: Government will kick-start a number of new infrastructure projects including 8 new airports and two new sea-ports in the coming months to boost sluggish economic growth, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today.

SpiceJet may place order for 50 planes

Mumbai: As part of its fleet expansion for 2017, budget airline SpiceJet is likely to stitch up an order for close to 50 narrow body aircraft, according to a report from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation India (CAPA) released on Monday.

Kingfisher Airlines plans legal action against property seizure

Mumbai: Kingfisher Airlines, whose headquarters at Vile Parle — Kingfisher House — was seized by lenders on August 10 to recover dues, plans to take legal action to overturn this move by the consortium of lenders led by State Bank of India, an official of the airline said on Monday.

Air India seeks to lease 19 Airbus A320 planes

New Delhi:  Air India Ltd is seeking to lease 19 Airbus A320 short-haul aircraft as the money-losing carrier seeks to cut costs, the state-run company said on Tuesday.
It plans to take delivery of up to seven aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2013, and the remainder in two phases by fiscal year 2015/16.

Why Jet-Etihad delay will not hamper FDI in other airlines

Much before the Indian government allowed 49 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in domestic carriers, global airlines like British Airways, Eithad and Lufthansa had evinced interest to invest in Indian market.

Jet Airways to induct a plane every month

Mumbai:  Jet Airways, India's second-biggest carrier by market share, will over the next 3-4 years induct one plane into its fleet every month, as it aims to bolster its network post a stake sale to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways.

SpiceJet offers option of paying to secure vacant adjacent seat

Mumbai:  The Union civil aviation ministry's decision to permit unbundling of services earlier this year has got carriers trying out ever newer ideas. SpiceJet on Monday became the first airline in India to offer passengers the option of paying extra to get a chance to secure empty seats next to theirs.

Bombardier to explore market opportunity for CSeries aircrafts in India

Chennai: The commercial aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc has said that its 100-160 seater CSeries expected to take off soon in the Indian skies. This comes at a time when the airline companies are looking at expanding more to tier II and III cities.

British Airways announces 4-day discount offer for biz class

Mumbai:  British Airways today announced a four-day special offer of 15 per cent discount on its business class tickets to London and North America from across its destinations from the country to celebrate the 67th Independence Day.

Gold biscuits found in toilet at Tiruchy Airport

Tiruchy: Around one kilo gram of gold biscuits was found in the men’s toilet at the International Airport here on Monday.

Kingfisher headquarters seizure was required: SBI

Mumbai: Top officials of the State Bank of India, the leading creditor of crisis-ridden Kingfisher Airlines said on Monday that the decision to seize Kingfisher House, the airline’s corporate headquarters is in line with whatever actions are required to recover the airline’s dues.

Lender consortium gets Rs 550 crore by selling Kingfisher Airlines' shares

Mumbai: A consortium led by State Bank of India has recovered around Rs 550 crore by selling shares of troubled airline Kingfisher.
Out of this, SBI got Rs 140 crore, the bank's mid-corporates head Shyamal Acharya also said.
For the rest of the nearly Rs 6,000 crore unpaid debt, he said banks have personal guarantees of airline chairman Vijay Mallya.

40 per cent airport staff fail explosives screening test

New Delhi: A little over 40 per cent of security personnel posted at airports across the country, who are supposed to detect explosives and suspicious objects in the hand baggage of passengers, fail to do their job, a test conducted by the country's aviation security regulator, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), has found.

Bureau of Energy Efficiency plans to bring aviation, railways under energy norms

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is mulling to include aviation and railways in India, along with a few other large energy-intensive industries, in its second cycle of Perform, Achieve and Trade' (PAT) scheme set to begin from 2015. A final decision on whether aviation and railways would be a part of the scheme would be taken by the beginning of the next financial year, as per a Business Standard report.

Yatra.com site down as company forgets to renew domain name

NEW DELHI: Travel website Yatra.com seems to have forgotten to renew its domain name, according to media sites. The name had apparently been registered on August 9, 2000, and expired on August 9, 2013.

Madhya Pradesh slashes VAT on ATF to 5%, to spur aviation boom

Indore: The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday slashed VAT on air turbine fuel (ATF) to 5% to drive the aviation boom in the state. This will bring down air fares by up to Rs 2,000. Earlier, VAT on ATF was 23% - the highest levy by any state in the country. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made this announcement while laying the foundation of the TCSSEZ in Indore.

Air transport provides jobs and sustainable economic growth

Geneva – Over 56 million jobs worldwide and $2.2 trillion in GDP are supported by aviation, according to a new report released today at the global Aviation & Environment Summit in Geneva. The report, Aviation: benefits beyond borders, was produced by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) and Oxford Economics. It outlines an industry that plays a larger role in the global economy than many would expect.

Solo and budget tourism high on the rupee fall

The sharp fall of the rupee may have hurt the Indian economy but to the thousands of cost-conscious international backpackers visiting India it has come as a boon, especially the ones who are visiting the country during monsoons.

Three Haryana men held for indiscipline on domestic flight

Vasco:  Three persons from Haryana were arrested for undisciplined behaviour, under the influence of alcohol, on a domestic flight at Dabolim airport.
On Friday evening, when a SpiceJet flight was about to take off, a flight attendant alerted airport security that the three persons, Gurpreet Singh, 38, Subhash Chandra, 43, and Rajendra Kumar Das, 43, were causing discomfort to other passengers.

Dubai to unveil a 'home' for super-jumbo A-380s and its flyers

New Delhi:  Dubai airport is slated to open the world's largest business and first class lounges in January next year at the new concourse coming up at a cost of USD four billion to house 28 superjumbo A-380s at a time.

Lenders take possession of Kingfisher Airlines headquarter in Mumbai

Lenders to Vijay Mallya-controlled Kingfisher Airlines have taken possession of property “Kingfisher House”, airline headquarters, near Mumbai airport after guarantors also failed to up pay up dues.
Banks had issued notice on May 03, to guarantors Vijay Mallya and United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd to repay about Rs 6,027 crore after company failed to pay up dues.

After dizzying take-off, air fares make a crash landing

Mumbai: Airfares are seasonally low during the monsoon quarter, which is a lean period for travel, but this time, delightfully for customers, they are the lowest in the last several years.
And the good news is that market experts expect the trend to continue, right into the Diwali season and beyond. If you wanted to book a flight to Kolkata from Mumbai, today for tomorrow, it will cost an unbelievable Rs 4,100. Even at their cheapest, flights on this sector were earlier never lower than Rs 7,500. Last minute bookings would have cost more.

Delhi airport: Terminal Illness

Flooding at Delhi airport's T3 terminal has almost become an annual feature during the monsoon. On June 16, rainwater entered the domestic arrival area, prompting air passengers to wonder whether it was a seaport. Shalini Narayan and Ruhi Bhasin find out why T3 gets flooded.

SpiceJet to pay Rs one lakh for unfair trade practice

New Delhi: SpiceJet has been directed by a consumer forum here to pay Rs one lakh to a passenger for not allowing all members of his family to board the plane despite having confirmed tickets and making them travel on two different flights while returning to Delhi from Goa.

Jet Airways incurs Rs 355-cr loss in Q1

Mumbai:  Jet Airways, in which Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is acquiring a 24 per cent stake for $380 million, posted a net loss of Rs 355 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2013. The airline had posted a net profit of about Rs 25 crore in the corresponding period last year.

Mallya may face prosecution in Kingfisher service tax issue

New Delhi: Kingfisher Airline’s owner Vijay Mallya may face prosecution in a service tax case. Though Mallya’s company has charged service tax from its customers, it was not paid to the Government.

Jet Airways, Etihad have revised agreement: Ajit Singh

New Delhi: In wake of concerns raised by some ministries over the Jet-Etihad deal, the government today said the two companies have revised their agreement and the proposal is currently being prepared for submission.

Swamy to move apex court if SEBI clears Etihad deal

Mumbai: Troubles for the Jet-Etihad deal are far from over, with Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy planning to approach the Supreme Court in case the market regulator approves the stake sale.

GoAir likely to sell 40% stake to Qatar Airways: Sources

Wadi Group-led low fare carrier GoAir is learnt to be in talks with Qatar Airways to sell around 40 percent stake to the former. The Mumbai-based airline has already appointed two bankers to facilitate this deal, reports CNBC-TV18’s Kritika Saxena. Sources also indicate that talks have already begun for a likely sale.

Sikhs get their way on turbans in Italy

Amritsar:  The five members of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) were allowed to take the flight to Dubai without removing their turbans for a security check after they mounted pressure on the Italian government.

Govt approves visa on arrival for tourists from 11 countries

New Delhi:  Tourists from 11 countries can now avail of visa-on-arrival (VoA) facility at four additional airports - Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The Union home ministry has approved introduction of the tourist VoA facility at these airports with effect from August 15, according to minister of state for home MullapallyRamachandran.

Mumbai sees some flights late 90% of the time

Mumbai: Flight delays appear to most people to result from vagaries of seasons and other unforeseeable hitches. But there is actually another, lesser-known, cause for many hold-ups: lateness, it turns out, is inbuilt in various flights' operations.

Fly and surf: Faster internet access above clouds becomes a reality

Chicago: Airline passengers pining for faster in-flight internet access anywhere in the world — even over the oceans are about to get their wish as satellite operators find success where Boeing failed a decade ago.

International Airlines Group chooses Microsoft Office 365

New Delhi: Software major Microsoft today said International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, has selected Microsoft Office 365 as the business communication solution for around 58,000 employees.

Airlines drop fares as demand remains flat

Mumbai: Domestic airlines have slashed fares to boost loads as demand for air travel remains subdued this year. August being a lean month for air travel carriers including Air India, Jet Airways and GoAir have dropped fares to attract flyers.

Emirates offers 'Street View' of A380 aircraft

Mumbai: Gulf carrier Emirates today said it has partnered with global search engine Google to launch the world's first 'Street View' of the double decker A380, the world's largest commercial jet aircraft.

Air India generates cash surplus of Rs 460 crore in April-June

New Delhi: A series of cost cutting measures and an aggressive marketing strategy have led Air India to generate cash surplus of Rs 460 crore in April-June on the back of a consistent growth trend since last July.

Muscat route addition to boost overseas profits: SpiceJet

Low-cost carrier,  SpiceJet  , which is owned by Sun Group despite being confident of improvement in airline market continues to worry about the high aviation turbine fuel cost, which makes for almost 50 percent of total cost of the company.

AirAsia plans 'zero fares' to take on competition, gain foothold in India

Mumbai: Maverick business tycoon Tony Fernandes-led AirAsia plans to make a splash in the Indian market as it launches this October offering schemes like 'zero fares' and other promotional fares to gain foothold in the country, which is likely to set off a fare war.

Disney's planes takes off in India

Mumbai: Disney Consumer Products (DCP) India brings all the characters from its high flying film Disney's Planes to stores across India. The skies are the limit with this exclusive assortment of toys, fashion, home décor, lifestyle and publishing products, rounds out the collection for fans of this new comedy-adventure from above the world of Cars.

Low airfares may continue till October

Mumbai: With domestic airlines locked in a price war, airfares have dropped by 50 per cent in some sectors and this bonanza could continue till early October, say experts.

Landing permit stoppage to hit tourism: Foreign jet operators

Mumbai: Concerned over security, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stopped issuing Temporary Landing Permits (TLP) to private jets registered  in foreign countries. Instead, the ministry has asked the crew members of such jets to get an employment visa.

Government proposes to build 17 new airports in 11 states

NEW DELHI: The government has proposed to build 17 new airports in 11 states, an expansion plan that will partly address the Indian aviation sector's growing capacity challenges and improve air connectivity in under-penetrated states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.

Kochi airport resumes operations

Kochi International Airport, which was closed for traffic since yesterday following waterlogging on the runway, resumed operations this evening with Air India Express (AIE) operating its Kochi-Doha-Bahrain flight.

TigerAir seeks to tie up with Indian budget carriers

New Delhi: Singapore-based TigerAir is seeking a commercial tie-up with Indian budget carriers and is in talks for the same with SpiceJet and IndiGo. The carrier, however, has ruled out buying an equity stake for now, according to reports in foreign media.

SpiceJet April-June net profit down 10 per cent to Rs 50.55 crore

Mumbai: Kalanithi Maran-controlled SpiceJet on Monday reported a 10% decline in net profit at 50.55 crore for the three months ended June 30, 2013, a period generally considered to be among the better months for the domestic aviation industry.

UP’s aviation sector set for greater heights

Top companies in the aviation sector have evinced keen interest in the privatisation of Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport at Lucknow and the international airport projects at Kushinagar and Agra.

Around 16 firms have sent in their enquiries to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the state government in this regard.

AAI officials are also buoyed over the interest shown by companies like GMR and GVR in the proposed R350- crore airport project in Kushinagar, Agra and privatisation of Lucknow airport

Jet Airways, Etihad revise stake sale deal

New Delhi: Jet Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways have revised their stake sale deal and submitted them to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), Rajya Sabha was informed today.

SpiceJet in talks with Tigerair for stake sale

Mumbai: No-frills carrier SpiceJet is in active discussions with Singapore-based budget carrier Tigerair for a possible stake sale even as they are set to sign a code share agreement soon, sources said.

Etihad says Jet Airways deal deadline extended until August-end

Bangalore: Etihad Airways' chief executive said on Thursday that a deadline to win regulatory approval for the airline's planned $379 million stake in Jet Airways has been extended until end of August.

US issues worldwide travel alert over threat from al-Qaeda

WASHINGTON: The US today issued a worldwide travel alert for its citizens, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, because of an al-Qaida terrorist threat.

"Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organisations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," the State Department said in a statement.

Passengers arriving Mumbai by GoAir get priority for TabCab taxi bookings

Mumbai:  TabCab, the leading fleetcab operator in Mumbai, is now giving special privilege to customers arriving in Mumbai by the GoAir flights.
Said a TabCab spokesperson, "The facility is available at the Tabcab counter on Terminal 1A of Mumbai Airport. Under this alliance, all GoAir passengers will be given priority for booking and allotting Tabcab over other airline passengers. GoAir passengers can avail this service by flashing their boarding pass at the booking counter."

Wife of Siyaram Silk Mills director held at Mumbai airport for smuggling jewellery into India

New Delhi: Vihari Poddar, wife of textile tycoon Abhishek Poddar, director of Siyaram Silk Mills, was arrested on Thursday for trying to smuggle in jewellery worth Rs. 2.35 crore.
VihariPoddar, who is managing director of the Singapore-based Vihari Jewels Pvt Ltd, was detained at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Tuesday night after she landed from a Singapore flight.

Soon, people may not have to remove prostheses at airports

New Delhi: Soon, if the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has its way, passengers may be spared the indignity of having to remove their prostheses for security checks at airports across India.
The BCAS is drafting a standard operating procedure for security and airline staff to screen people with implants and prostheses and those with Autism, Down's Syndrome and similar special needs.

Air India's maiden Dreamliner flight lands in Birmingham

London: Birmingham Airport welcomed Air India's first Dreamliner flight connecting Birmingham with Amritsar and Delhi, fulfilling a long cherished dream of the people of Punjab.
The Air India's Dreamliner AI 461, with nearly 220 passengers on board, was warmly welcomed at the airport last night.

Aircraft registrations take off after key roadblock removed

New Delhi: New aircraft registrations have been on the rise ever since the civil aviation ministry abolished the aircraft acquisition committee and eased import of aircraft in March. The ministry abolished the previously tedious regime of getting a clearance to import aircraft and, in the three months since then, (April–June) already 23 aircraft have been registered in the country, as per data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

No plans to buy stake in Indian airline: Emirates

Emirates put to rest speculation that it is in talks with Indian carrier SpiceJet for a stake in the airline. The Middle East’s largest airline termed the stories ‘inaccurate’ and said it was busy with its own expansion plans.
“In response to recent inaccurate stories in the media, Emirates can confirm it has no plans to acquire a stake in any airline in India or elsewhere,’’ an Emirates spokesperson said in response to questions from Khaleej Times.

Why it is a revolving door for CEOs at SpiceJet

New Delhi: Not many were surprised when reports came of Neil Mills quitting as Chief Executive Officer of SpiceJet. The development was in keeping up with the airline’s record of having a CEO for no more than three years.

IATA: Asia-Pacific continues to lead airline recovery

IATA: Asia-Pacific continues to lead airline recovery Asian carriers have led global growth

The International Air Transport Association has released June passenger demand figures showing year-on-year growth of six per cent.

The robust growth, measured in revenue passenger kilometers, is ahead of the 4.8 per cent demand growth reported over the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012.

Experts say Etihad will exercise control over Jet Airways

Mumbai: Gulf-based Etihad Airways, which is in the process of acquiring a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways (India) Ltd, will hold influence and control over the Indian carrier despite modifications to the  shareholder and commercial pacts signed between them, corporate governance and aviation experts say.

ATF price hiked by steep 6.3%

NEW DELHI: Jet fuel (ATF) prices were today hiked by a steep 6.3 per cent, the third consecutive increase since June, as a falling rupee made imports costlier.

Aviation Turbine Fuel, or ATF, price at Delhi was hiked by Rs 4,169.4 per kilolitre (kl), or 6.3 per cent, to Rs 70,203.15 per kl with effect from midnight tonight, according to Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer.

Jet-Etihad deal: FIPB clearing agreement not end of story

Even as the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has given its green signal to the $379-million deal that will see Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways buying a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways, all is not over as the board has referred it back to the market regulator, while the final call has to be taken by the Union Cabinet. Besides, questions remain on the bilateral air services agreement (BASA) between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

SpiceJet in ‘advanced’ talks with Emirates for stake sale

Mumbai/Delhi: Two days after the Jet-Etihad deal got FIPB approval, the buzz around SpiceJet looking for a partner has got louder.
The Kalanithi Maran-promoted low-cost carrier is reported to be in advanced stages of negotiations for a stake sale to a foreign airline. According to market sources, Dubai-based Emirates is the top suitor.