A new proposal from DGCA seeks to ease up regional air travel

New Delhi: If what aviation regulator DGCA has proposed is accepted by the Government, Non-Scheduled Operator Permit (NSOP) holders will be allowed to become Scheduled Commuter Services for domestic flights.

An NSOP holder is an operator who is not allowed to publish a flight schedule and needs permission before mounting each flight. Typically, NSOs are people who offer charter flights and sometimes offer services to corporate honchos for flying but by their very definition these people cannot offer regular flights like commercial airlines since they cannot publish schedules.

AI to charter aircraft to evacuate Indians in Iraq

Despite having as many 100 aircrafts in its own fleet, Air India has floated an open tender to charter aircraft from outside to fly back 6,500 Indian nationals stuck in conflict-struck Iraq. The reasons cited for the decision range from crew's reluctance to expenditure estimates, said sources.

The tender issued on June 27 asks, on an urgent basis, for aircraft--both narrow and wide body--on a full charter to bring back the Indians from Iraq and Kuwait. A board member told Mirror the aircrafts will be chartered on wet-lease basis or hired along with pilots and cabin crew. "They will be flown under the supervision of Air India and payment will be made as per the number of block hours of operation," a senior official said.

India expects 400 million air passengers by 2020: report

Jaipur: India has witnessed a growth in number of air travellers due to liberal aviation policy and entry of small air carrier, and is likely to touch 400 million  mark by 2020, said  Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi  Raju

"With the entry of small carriers the number of middle class passengers and the aviation income enabled by liberal  policy was increased. In 2013-14, the number of passengers recorded was 169 million, which showed six per cent growth in  comparison to 2012-13," the Minister said.  This growth is expected to rise above 400 million passengers by the year 2020, the Union Minister said. India's aviation was fastest growing market in the  world, being the 10th largest, he said, adding?it would be  expected to the second Indian domestic travel market in the  world with an immense potential in maintenance, repair, ground  handling and capacity building in aviation sector.  Raju said air connectivity to Bikaner was bound to increase tourism in the sandy desert part of the state.

Competition from Gulf carriers has made Indian mkt tough: Air France-KLM

Paris : Competition from Gulf carriers has made the burgeoning Indian aviation market “tough” and Air France-KLM would have to upgrade its image to address this challenge, the airline’s global CEO has said.

“Of course, Indian market is an important one, (mainly due to an) enormous population and a growing economy but it is a difficult one,” Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac told PTI in an interview here, stressing that competition was “tough” in India primarily due to the Gulf carriers. Flagging concerns about challenge posed by Gulf airlines, Juniac said the scenario needs to be addressed with the right tools. “We have to address that competition with the right tool …meaning the right aircraft, providing the right service and right products.

MH370 power outage linked to possible hijacking attempt

Hijackers may have tampered with vital cockpit equipment on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet mid-journey in a bid to avoid radar detection, aviation experts analysing a new government agency report say.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released a report detailing evidence of a “not common” power outage occurring on the plane less than 90 minutes after take off from Kuala Lumpur.
Investigators revealed that after the power outage, the Boeing 777’s satellite data unit (SDU) attempted to log-on to a satellite – a process called a “handshake” in aviation industry lingo.
“A log-on request in the middle of a flight is not common and can occur for only a few reasons,” the investigators said. “An analysis was performed which determined that the characteristics and timing of the log-on requests were best matched as resulting from power interruption to the SDU.”

Aviation sector: Sinking instead of soaring

One sector that poses the most daunting challenge to the Modi Sarkar for urgent corrective action is Aviation. In the presentation made to the prime minister in June, the civil aviation ministry cited numerous constraints dragging the aviation sector prompting Narendra Modi to remark “challenges have been highlighted but no achievements have been mentioned”.

The comment was apt. It reflected the ground reality of civil aviation sector not because it is prone to problems but owing to gross mismanagement and flawed decisions during the past decade leaving the ministry with no aspect to glorify as an achievement. The promise the sector holds is enormous because of the sheer size of the market. India is expected to become the third largest aviation market in the world by 2020, after the USA and China. From the present 117 million domestic and 43 million international passengers, the country’s aviation market is set to see a major upsurge in traffic to 337 million domestic and 84 million international passengers in the next 10 years.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's sarod goes missing on British Airways flight

New Delhi: Classical musician Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's sarod, which he has been playing for the last 45 years, has gone missing while he was returning to Delhi from London by a British Airways flight.
The Padma Vibhushan sarod maestro had gone to London along with his wife Subhalaxmi for a performance at Dartington College to celebrate the life of Rabindranth Tagore on June 21 and returned on the night of June 28.
Read news in full 30/06/14 PTI/India Today

Air India: Non-operational Employees not Eligible for Lapsable PL

Amidst talks of privatization and large amount of losses, Air India has decided not to pay for lapsable Privilege Leaves to non-operational employees due to lack of funds.

The non-operational employees include staff and officers of the Commercial Department working in Sales and Marketing Offices, as well as Finance and Personnel employees in Operating Departments.

The lapsable Privilege Leave (PL) can now be encashed only by operational employees and others will be given leave for a month commencing from 1 July, a source told
International Business Times India Edition on condition of anonymity. The amount of PL is around ?25,000 per employee, which the airline cannot afford due to financial crunch.
Read news in full 30/06/14 Sushmita Sen/IBTimes

Indian aviation market needs to provide better services: report

Mumbai: Competition from Gulf carriers has made the burgeoning Indian aviation market "tough" and Air France-KLM would have to upgrade its image to address this challenge, the airline's global CEO has said. "Of course, Indian market is an important one, (mainly due to an) enormous population and a growing economy but it is a difficult one," said Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac, stressing that competition was "tough" in India primarily due to the Gulf carriers.

Flagging concerns about challenge posed by Gulf airlines, Juniac said the scenario needs to be addressed with the right tools. "We have to address that competition with the right tool -meaning the right aircraft, providing the right service and right products.

After Deepika Padukone, its Ranbir Kapoor’s luggage troubles

In the past we have told you about actors getting detained at airports for a variety of reasons. Shah Rukh Khan is a regular when it comes to airport detentions. Even Anushka Sharma was detained once for carrying undeclared expensive jewelry. Deepika Padukone has a knack for losing her luggage at airports. But there is a latest addition to the list.

SpiceJet and IndiGo kick off discounts for winter

Budget carrier SpiceJet on Friday triggered off a price war in the aviation industry announcing one-way discounted fares starting Rs 1,999 for travel between September and December this year, prompting IndiGo to follow with a similar offer soon after.
The offers announced on Monday include one-way fare of Rs 1,999 for a trip between Delhi and Goa though tickets would have to be bought before 30 June. The offer is valid for travel between 15 Sep and 1 December.

IndiGo only airline to opt for aggressive expansion. Is it anticipating a gold rush?

New Delhi:IndiGo is the only domestic airline expected to expand capacity significantly this fiscal as others remain cautious. India's largest airline by passengers is expected to place an aircraft order for the future, of anywhere between 200-250 aircraft, at next month's Farnborough Air Show. So not only is it optimistic about the near term prospects of Indian aviation, it is obviously placing a long term bet on the Indian market.

According to aviation consultancy CAPA, IndiGo is the only airline among incumbent Indian carriers which will add any significant capacity this fiscal. In all, CAPA expects domestic capacity to expand by just 8-10% but even this would be higher than the traffic projection for FY15. And most of this growth is expected to be generated by AirAsia.

To fly a lakh to Iraq, tender floated

Lucknow: The Anjuman-e-Haidery, headquartered at the Dargah Shah-e-Mardan in Jorbagh, Delhi, and which claims to be managing “the largest number of Shia Waqf properties in Delhi,” has floated a tender to fly a lakh volunteers to war-torn Iraq and its adjacent countries to protect Shia shrines from Sunni insurgents.
The tender, floated Friday, invites Expression of Interest from aviation and travel business entities “having capacity to carry passengers in bulk at a short notice.”

Cops clueless after man hides gun at airport, flies to UK

Mumbai: The police are grappling with a mystery involving a disappeared man and a weapon that he abandoned at the Mumbai international airport. All trails to search for 78-year-old Vinod Gulati - in India and abroad - have run cold.

The drama began to unfold on April 12, when a sweeper found a country-made revolver in one of the plastic pots kept outside Gate 7 of the departure section of T2 terminal. The sweeper, while cleaning the pot, noticed a shiny metallic object inside and, on examining it closer, recognized a gun. He then raised an alarm.

After the gun was retrieved, CISF personnel and a dog squad began combing the entire airport but found nothing amiss and no more weapons.

Indian aviation market tough but important: Air France-KLM

Paris: Competition from Gulf carriers has made the burgeoning Indian aviation market "tough" and Air France-KLM would have to upgrade its image to address this challenge, the airline's global CEO has said.

"Of course, Indian market is an important one, (mainly due to an) enormous population and a growing economy but it is a difficult one," Air France-KLM CEO Alexandre de Juniac told PTI in an interview here, stressing that competition was "tough" in India primarily due to the Gulf carriers.

Embraer Issues Aircraft Safety Alert Over Loose Engine Bolts

Montreal: With carriers still jittery as the fate of missing MH370 aircraft is still a mystery after almost four months, a new safety alert has gone out.

American Airlines Group Inc and other carriers inspected engine pylon bolts on Embraer SA E190 aircraft after the Brazilian planemaker recommended the checks. The E190 can carry 98 to 114 passengers.

American found that the engine bolts “were loosened to some degree” on 12 of its 20 E190 aircraft, Paul Flaningan, a spokesman, said yesterday. The planes all were inspected and repaired yesterday and put back into service, he said.

High court denies Air India union leaders special leave

New Delhi: The Bombay High Court has directed four office-bearers of the Aviation Industry Employees’ Guild to resume duties by July 7, in a move that supports Air India’s drive against absenteeism.

The state-owned airline had this month asked 11 office-bearers across three trade unions to report for work immediately after withdrawing a ‘full-time release’ concession for discharging union responsibilities.

Executives fly undetected from Mumbai to Indore on wrong tickets

Mumbai: When Minaz Bagasrawala and Vinit Sawant, two private company executives, boarded an Air India flight from Mumbai to Indore on Thursday, airport procedures around the world were much the same.

Only, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, things were slightly different. The two arrived at the airport, unaware that they had forgotten one of the most basic travel etiquettes.

Upon arrival at airport, their e-tickets were checked by the CISF personnel manning the gates. They then proceeded to the Air India counter where the tickets were re-checked and boarding passes issued.

AI-635 left Mumbai at 6:30 am. What Bagasrawala (32) and Sawant (28) forgot to do was to check the travel dates. Both were flying on tickets booked for the next day (Friday, June 27).

The CISF men who first checked the tickets at the entrance and the Air India staffers at the counter, too, missed the date, and the two had a smooth journey to Indore.

United Bank of India asks Mallya, Kingfisher directors to appear on July 9

Kolkata: City-based lender United Bank of India has asked Vijay Mallya and three other directors of grounded Kingfisher Airlines to appear before a panel of the bank at the head office here on July 9.

"The recovery department of the bank has sent a letter to them asking chairman Vijay Mallya and three other directors of Kingfisher Airlines to appear on July 9 before the grievance redressal committee of UBI here," bank's Executive Director Sanjay Arya told PTI here.
Arya said that they had been asked to appear so that they could get a chance to defend themselves before the bank declares them as wilful defaulter.
Read news in full 29/06/14 Economic Times

Flights between Kolhapur and Mumbai from August 15

Kolhapur: The city's airport will become functional from August 15, with private airline Supreme Aviation showing an interest in starting flights from Kolhapur to Mumbai. The airline has received assurance from industrialists in the city that four seats would be booked daily on the flight to Mumbai.

The airline's chief executive officer (CEO) and president, Captain Sumeet K Agarwal, met member of parliament Dhananjay Mahadik and industrialists from the city on Friday to assure them of the service between the two cities.

The company's 12-seater plane will take off at 8am from Kolhapur and will land at Juhu airport at 9.15am. The return flight from Juhu to Kolhapur will be at 4pm. The plane will be parked at Kolhapur at night.

SpiceJet Launches SpiceFlex Add-on Offer

Budget carrier SpiceJet has launched a special add-on offer called SpiceFlex in an attempt to attract more flyers.
SpiceFlex entitles its customers to a range of benefits at a special price of Rs. 749 as compared to the regular price of Rs. 3,850. The benefits under this service include services like complimentary meal, priority check-in, preferred seat and change fee.
SpiceFlex is a limited-period offer available for booking between June 26 and June 29 and travel period of September 26-30.
Read news in full 27/06/14 NDTV

Can't rollback hike in user development fee at Kempegowda International Airport : Karnataka govt

Bangalore: Defending the recent hike in the user development fee (UDF) at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), the state government said on Friday that the UDF cannot be reduced as funds were required for the airport's expansion and construction of the second terminal.

Replying to a question raised by K Govindaraj (Congress) in the legislative council, infrastructure minister R Roshan Baig said the expansion plans were the reasons for increasing the UDF.

Kerala airports no more safe for unlocked baggage

Kozhikode: The passengers who do not lock  their check-in baggage may lose  their valuables as theft from baggage has been continuing at  airports in the state. The airline security, which is responsible for monitoring the baggage clearance, has not arrested anyone  so far.

Airport sources told DC that theft from checked-in baggage had become very common at  airports and most of the cases go unreported as the passengers will only get to know of it after reaching their homes.

Star Alliance entry to end AI freebie culture?

New Delhi:  Will Air India's entry into Star Alliance from July 11 finally achieve the impossible: Clamp the brakes on free upgrades that netas, babus, other influential people and their kin have enjoyed for years by buying the cheapest economy tickets but getting 'bumped' up to business or first class? Or check the age-old practice of AI employees filling up these seats?

Grim outlook for aviation

New Delhi: Domestic carriers are expected to post $1.3-1.4 billion in losses in fiscal 2014-15, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa).
A tough operating environment and sluggish demand are among the reasons behind such massive losses.
The international aviation body also said IndiGo, India’s largest low-cost carrier, might float an initial public offering during the fiscal and raise $350-400 million.
IndiGo is also expected to announce an order for 200-250 planes to take care of its fleet requirement after 2025. At present, it has a 79-aircraft fleet and has placed orders for 186.

GVK exploring stake sale in airport business, Australian mining JV Hancock

Hyderabad-based GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd said it is in preliminary talks with investors to sell stake in two businesses to reduce debt, according to a stock market disclosure.
The firm said it is looking at raising equity at the airport holding company, to retire the debt raised for the airport acquisition and is in discussion with a few investors for the same.
GVK’s airport holding company GVK Airport Holdings is part owner and operator of two airports in the country—Mumbai and Bangalore airports. It had previously acquired stake held by some other partners in the separate projects and had taken debt to hike its holdings.

An airline CEO needs to be a worrier: AirAsia's Mittu Chandilya

In a 1970 Mercedes 280 SL whose colour is described as signal red, Alec Baldwin says to Jerry Seinfeld, "Your life has been one unbroken boulevard of green lights, hasn't it?"

The line, spoken by Baldwin on Seinfeld's online show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, comes to mind when you read about Mittu Chandilya, the CEO of AirAsia.
Only 33, Chandilya has everything that turns other men a shade of signal green — success, brains, looks, an exmodel as wife and lots of healthy kids.

As AirAsia breaks new ground in lowcost aviation in India despite cussed opposition from other Indian airlines, Chandilya, a double MBA (INSEAD France /Singapore and Tsinghua University, Beijing), covers the gamut of his universe with ETPanache.
What are the qualities needed to chase an airline operator's license in India?

To prevent Karachi-like attack, police to deploy snipers near IGI airport

New Delhi: Almost two weeks after the Karachi airport attack left 29 dead in a 13-hour-long siege, the Delhi airport police, along with the South and South-west district police, have sent a proposal for deploying snipers in the funnel area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) at Vasant Kunj and Dwarka. The proposal comes after an internal meeting between officials of various agencies, including the IB, RAW and the Delhi Police, was held to discuss the security arrangements in place at IGIA.

Aviation fuel racket busted in Bangalore

Bangalore: The Food Department has unearthed a racket in which Aviation Turbine Fuel was being siphoned off by tampering with the tankers that transported fuel to the airport. This is believed to have a national ramification. Aviation fuel, which can be used as substitute for diesel, is suspected to have been sold to tar-manufacturing units.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Thursday, Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao said that aviation fuel was being siphoned off during transportation to Kempe Gowda International Airport at Devanahalli. The transporters had tampered with the tankers carrying aviation fuel to facilitate siphoning-off.

Flights to take off from Navi Mumbai airport in 2018: CIDCO

If City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is to be believed, the Navi Mumbai international airport will be ready by the end of 2018. Authorities said the first flight would take off from the airport in December 2018.
CIDCO said they would make the remaining two villages, which are refusing to give land for the airport, understand the details of the compensation packageCIDCO said they would make the remaining two villages, which are refusing to give land for the airport, understand the details of the compensation package
The town planning body announced yesterday that most of the villages, which had earlier opposed the proposed airport and the rehabilitation package offered, have agreed to the state’s terms and conditions.

JK can trim down ‘rising’ airfare, says DGCA

Srinagar: The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has passed the buck on expensive airfares to Jammu and Kashmir on the state government saying initiatives like decrease in Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel and underwriting of seats can bring the ticket prices to the desired levels.
Responding to the notice issued by Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said the state governments are important stakeholders as far as airfare pricing is concerned.
“Initiative of the state government on reduction of charges under their control like VAT on fuel lifted from within the state, underwriting of seats etc. may bring the airfares to the desired levels,” DGCA writes in its response to SHRC notice.

Cochin International Airport net up 12% at 124 cr in 2013-14 fiscal

Kochi: Cochin International Airport Ltd has posted a 11.68 per cent growth in net profit at ?124.42 crore in the 2013-14 fiscal. The board of directors has recommended a dividend of 18 per cent.
The company has also increased its total revenue margin by 17.9 per cent during the period to touch ?361.39 crore.
A press statement issued here said diversification into other sectors has helped garner more business, with 45 per cent of revenue being generated from the non-traffic sector. The airport has shown consistent growth in both passenger traffic and cargo movement.
Read news in full 27/06/14 Business Line

A Real Life Surprise By Sunfeast At Bengaluru Airport

What is the most boring thing about travelling in flights? I think we would all agree that it is waiting at the conveyor belt for our checked in luggage to arrive. But if you were present at the Bengaluru airport when Sunfeast turned it into a virtual farm, it would have changed your perception forever.
ITC Foods launched its new product Sunfeast Farmlite in a very novel way. Farmlite did an activity at the Bengaluru airport that stressed on fitness and the goodness of eating 'farm fresh' foods.
This video shows us how surprised the passengers were when the conveyor belt stopped working and a message flashed on the screen that it would have to be repaired manually.

AAI readies plan for low-cost airports

New Delhi: There's good news for all flyers fed up with paying prohibitively steep airport charges for using terminals at places like Delhi and Mumbai. State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has prepared a blueprint of low-cost or no-frills terminals that will allow airports to come up across India and improve connectivity.

Aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa disclosed this at an industry-government interface organized by Economic Times along with the American Chamber of Commerce here on Wednesday. "The design of airports built in past few years have been rather ambitious. There is a lot of scope for cutting costs and conserving energy. The roadmap for no-frills airport is ready and that should help up achieve the objective of enhancing regional connectivity," Lavasa, an energy conservationist, said.

Windshield Of Chennai-bound IndiGo Flight Cracks Mid-air

Nearly 120 passengers and crew members on a Chennai-bound IndiGo Airlines flight (6E512) from Bhubaneswar had a narrow escape on Wednesday (June 25) after the windscreen of its cockpit suffered severe damage mid-air. Ice crystals in the atmosphere and mid-air turbulence reportedly caused the damage.

The flight made a safe landing at the airport in Visakhapatnam and all the passengers and crew members on board are safe. About 70 Chennai-bound passengers were stranded there for over three hours.

No decision taken to privatise Air India: Government

New Delhi: No decision has been taken to privatise Air India, with the government saying it was close to finalising a short-term strategy to strengthen the burgeoning civil aviation sector, including slashing taxes on jet fuel. "By and large, there is a general feeling that the aviation sector in India is no way near its potential. So we are working on that and trying to achieve that potential... We are working out a short-term strategy, setting some goals for ourselves within the Ministry," Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told reporters.

Aviation Ministry working on quick boost to the sector

New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry is working on a short-term strategy to re-energise the sector.

“We feel that Aviation, as a sector, is nowhere near its potential. We are setting some goals to realise it,” Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the newly appointed Civil Aviation Minister, said at a press conference called to announce the entry of Air India into Star Alliance. The Minister, however, declined to get into specifics, saying these will be laid out in the next few days.

Last Saturday, the Minister was present at a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi where issues relating to infrastructure, including aviation, were highlighted. He said while a number of issues, including Air India, came up at the meeting, no decisions were taken.

Will US Airlines operating from India be affected by High Court order in Pan-Am related issue?

Will US airlines operating from India be affected by the Punjab & Haryana High Court asking the Central Government to take up the issue of discrimination by the US government against Indian victims of the 1986 Pan-Am flight 73? It may be recalled that the flight was hijacked in Karachi by terrorists from Libya on 5 September 1986. As many as 13 Indians were killed and around 120 Indian passengers were injured in the attack.

This was the flight on which Pan-Am's chief purser, 23 year old Neerja Bhanot was gunned down by terrorists as she tried to allow passengers to escape from the aircraft, which had mainly American citizens. Neerja Bhanot was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, which is India's highest peacetime gallantry award for bravery, in 1987. She became the first woman to receive the award.

Air India sees 4-5% rise in revenue post entry in Star Alliance

Reeling under financial stress and increasing competition from Gulf carriers, industry experts said that the inclusion of Air India into Star Alliance will do little for the airline to revive from the current position.

National carrier – Air India on Tuesday announced its much-awaited entry into Star Alliance – the biggest grouping of global airlines. After being rejected by the alliance 3 years ago, the airline is now officially set to join the grouping of 26 other airlines by July 11 this year. The move is expected to increase revenues of the airline by 4-5%, according to the airline.

"Today about 13 Star member airlines operate to 10 destinations in India and account for a total share of 13% of India's to and fro market. The inclusion of Air India in Star would take Star Alliance to a stronger position with a share of about 30%," said a note issued by the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA).

Air India’s Star Alliance entry is a win-win for the carrier, the flyers and the club

New Delhi: Air India has finally been given the nod to become a part of Star Alliance. Entry to the exclusive international club consisting of 26 airlines including Lufthansa, Air Canada and Thai Airways, came at the end of a meeting of the Chief Executives’ Board of the member airlines in London on Monday.
The formal announcement of the membership was made by the Minister for Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju here on Tuesday.
All the benefits of a Star Alliance membership will be available to Air India and its passengers from July 11 this year. Monday’s announcement marks the end of a journey that began in 2007, during which the Maharaja has seen its shares of ups and down. Air India had been inducted into the Star Alliance in Beijing in December 2007. But in August 2011, the airline’s application for membership was put on hold as it had not met the parameters contractually agreed to in 2007.

Air India Passengers to Get Premium Facilitation Following Star Alliance Membership

New Delhi: The revenue of Air India (AI) may increase by 4-5 per cent by joining the Star Alliance. This was stated by the Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati while announcing the inclusion of Air India into the Star Alliance club today in the presence of Secretary, Civil Aviation, Shri Ashok Lavasa, CMD, Air India, Shri Rohit Nandan and COO, Star Alliance, Mr. Jeffrey Goh. The Minister said that Air India will get benefit out of this association as a wider reach and access to existing facilities for the members of the world’s biggest grouping of airlines would now be available to the passengers of Air India also.  Air India’s entry into the Star Alliance reflects the buoyancy in the aviation sector resulting from some of the recent initiatives taken by the Government. Star Alliance is the biggest congregation of 26 leading airlines offering worldwide reach and smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers 21,900 daily flights to 1328 airports in 195 countries. Today about 13 Star Member Airlines operate to 10 destinations in India and account for a total share of 13 per cent of India’s to and fro market.

Experts hail Air India's entry into Star Alliance

Mumbai: Terming the national carrier Air India's entry into Star Alliance as a "morale booster," aviation experts today said it will also benefit the flyers.

"Great news! Air India becomes the first Indian carrier to become part of a global network. Full marks to Air India's management and staff who achieved this feat despite myriad challenges," global consultancy KPMG partner and India head of aerospace and defence Amber Dubey said.

Stating that the entry will enhance Air India's global access, passenger and cargo volumes, revenues and profits, Dubey said passengers can earn and burn mileage points on member carriers and access lounges and other facilities.

Have asked states to cut jet fuel tax, aviation minister says

New Delhi: Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Tuesday he had asked states to cut jet fuel tax, which the country's struggling airlines say makes it difficult for them to stay profitable.
Raju said he believed aviation turbine fuel (ATF) was "taxed on the higher side" and that states should "bring down" the tax, without indicating what he considered an appropriate level.
High taxes — many of them set by individual states rather than central government — low fares and a highly competitive market mean all but one of India's big airlines are losing cash. Fuel costs are among the highest in the region.

Local interests to govern new air bilateral deals

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry is developing an entirely new framework for bilateral air services agreements (ASAs) that will focus more on the needs of domestic carriers. The ministry has been criticised for granting bilaterals in a manner that causes domestic players like Air India to lose business to foreign competition. Emirates, for instance overtook Air India in 2013 with a 13% market share.

Govt can reduce Kashmir airfare, civil aviation responds

Srinagar: The directorate general of civil aviation has said the Jammu and Kashmir government can take initiatives if it wants to bring the airfare to a desired level.

In its reply to a notice shot by State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) following a petition pleading that as compared to other destinations, hike for travel to Kashmir is totally unfair and by all standards is aimed to scuttle the flow of tourists to the valley, the civil aviation department has put the ball in state government’s court.

Air India’s First, Business Class Overhaul A Waste Unless Free Upgrades Are Checked

In order to be at par with the members of Star Alliance, the world's largest alliance of airlines, like Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, Air India is upgrading its business and first class facilities at a considerable expense from July 11.

But it needs to stop free upgrades that politicians, bureaucrats and other influential people and their kin have been enjoying for years by buying the economy class tickets and getting upgraded to the business or first class. Unless this practice of free upgrades is stopped, all the expenses incurred on the overhaul would be wasted.

Introducing the uber luxury in premium classes includes a complete revamp of meal service with Oberoi, one of the country's finest in-flight caterers, being asked to serve three-course meals on all international flights. The first and business class travellers will also be given a red carpet treatment at India's five major airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

Air India denies boarding passes to Naga students

Dimapur: In a shocking incidence of utter callousness by Air India , around 15 Naga students who had to fly to Delhi, Chennai and other cities, either for admissions or sitting for selection interviews on June 25, were today unceremoniously offloaded and discriminated by Air India authorities despite possessing confirmed seat.
The students all aged between 19 to 26 years including both boys and girls , said when they were about to obtain boarding passes at the counter, they were shocked to be told that their seats “ were no more”.
 All the students reported that they had received SMS flight time delay alert, which meant confirmation of their seats upto the time the plane flew in from Dibrugarh.
Reliable sources informed Nagaland Post that no plausible explanation was given to the victimized students nor any concrete decision about their next flight since there is no flight to Dimapur on June 25.

Malaysia Airlines MH370: Pilot wife disputes final words theory

New Delhi: A new development in the missing Malaysian Airlines MH370 case has contradicted the initial claim by Malaysian Airlines chief Ahmad Jauhari Yahya about the "final words". Yahya had said the words "good night Malaysian 370" spoken by co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid were the last ones.  The airline revealed later they were unsure as to who had delivered the words.

Flight MH370 had disappeared with 239 passengers and crew on board after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing, on March 8.

The wife of one of the pilots told two journalists her husband spoke the final words from the cockpit, not his co-pilot.

Chandrababu Naidu tells Centre to rename Hyderabad airport after NTR

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday expressed hope that Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi international airport will be renamed after TDP founder N T Rama Rao.
Naidu said the airport was originally named after former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N T Rama Rao but once its location was shifted from Begumpet to Shamshabad, the then Congress government at the Centre renamed it after former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
"The Central government has to do it. This has been our demand," he said after a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Etihad Airways Offers Enhanced Access To India

Mumbai: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced a major expansion of its codeshare agreement with Jet Airways, offering travellers enhanced connections throughout India, and linking India with even more destinations worldwide.
The two airlines have obtained regulatory approval to codeshare on 43 additional routes, bringing the total number of services in their codeshare agreement to 71.
As part of the expansion, Etihad Airways has placed its 'EY' code on domestic services in India for the first time, with the codeshare agreement now including 31 Jet Airways routes from hubs in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore to regional centres in Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Patna, Trivandrum and Vadodara.
The codeshare agreement has also been updated to incorporate Jet Airways' international connections from Mumbai and Delhi to the Asian tourism and economic hubs of Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, together with services linking Chennai to Abu Dhabi and Singapore.

DoNER min asked to boost aviation in NE

Guwahati: To boost aviation in the northeast, representatives of the College of Aeronautical Engineering, Guwahati, met Union Doner minister General (retd) V K Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday. At the meeting, the Union minister conveyed that he would help develop the aviation industry in the northeast.

The meeting focused on the importance of the aviation industry in the region and the various ways of promoting it. At present, the College of Aeronautical Engineering and the Assam Flying Club are the region's only Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) institute and flying school, respectively.

Hoardings near airport threaten to ground Mumbai's only non-stop flight to US

New Delhi: Mumbai may lose its only non-stop connection to the US for the silliest reason: billboards near the airport. Air India has complained to aviation and Maharashtra authorities that it is forced to carry only 260 passengers in the 340-seater Boeing 777 deployed on the Mumbai-Newark sector. The reason: billboards near the airport come in the path of the aircraft, forcing it to fly light to allow it take off in a way that it can steer clear of this hurdle.

Air India joins Star Alliance group

New Delhi: Air India Ltd has joined the Star Alliance group of carriers, a spokesman said on Tuesday, a move that could help boost revenues at the loss-making state-run airline.
Executives at Star Alliance met with Air India officials in London on Monday and agreed for the airline, which has been in talks to join since last year, to become its 27th member, Air India spokesman Praveen Bhatnagar said.
Air India will formally complete the process by mid-July, Bhatnagar said.
Membership allows Air India to share routes with the other airlines to more than 1,200 destinations, helping it to compete with Gulf carriers like Emirates, which have increased their share of long-distance flights into and out of India.

Star Alliance membership to boost Air India revenue

Mumbai: Air India is expecting a two-three per cent gain in revenue due to wider commercial partnerships and integration of its frequent flyer programme with 26 member airlines of the Star Alliance.

On Monday board members of Star Alliance met  in London to vote on Air India's induction into the group. A formal announcement on Air India’s induction into the alliance is expected at a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday.   Star Alliance is the largest of three global airline alliances and includes Lufthansa, Swiss, United, Singapore Airlines  as it members. Air India’s membership into the  Star Alliance was put on hold in 2011 and was initiated afresh last December.
For Air India the revenue gain is expected largely from the integration of its frequent flyer programme, which allows passengers to redeem points on flights operated by any of the 26 carriers in the alliance. Occupancy in Air India’s business class ranges from 45 to 50 per cent and the airline’s executives hope this will encourage companies and frequent flyers to fly more with them.

Modi to revamp aviation industry, not keen on privatising Air India

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is planning revamp of the aviation industry. The Civil Aviation Ministry has made several proposals to the Prime Minster during a presentation last week to bring changes to the ministry.
Though according to sources, the ministry is not keen on privatising the ailing Air India, it wants to improve its performance. The PM reportedly, is concerned over the huge debt burden on the aircraft carrier. The PM has also stressed on priority being given to improve safety standards.

Tatas to build Dornier aircraft with Swiss RUAG

Hyderabad: Tata Group aims at further consolidation in the aviation and aerospace sector by rolling out a fully built new generation Dornier aircraft from its Hyderabad facility, in association with aircraft maker RUAG Aviation of Switzerland.
Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), which is spearheading the conglomerate’s interests in the aerospace sector, on Monday tied up with RUAG to set up a manufacturing unit in Hyderabad to make fuselages and wings for the new Dornier 228 aircraft.
It is also the first big-ticket investment for the new State of Telangana. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao laid the foundation stone for the project here.

‘Government yet to identify actual location of MH370’

Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian government is still discussing with the Australian and Chinese authorities to identify a new location in the Indian Ocean to locate the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370 aircraft which vanished on March 8.
Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the discussion also involved a new phase and the use of suitable assets for the operation to locate the aircraft.
“That is very important in this new phase because without knowing or deciding where this area is going to be, it’s very difficult for us to understand what sort of equipment is needed, which have specific capabilities, for the search mission,” he said.
He said this to reporters after opening the 2014 annual convention of the Armed Forces Religious Corp and launching a book here yesterday.

Experts call for complete AAI revamp

Aviation experts and industry analysts have called on the government to revamp Airports Authority of India (AAI), following civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju's report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, in which he said accumulated losses of Rs 49,000 crore have put the aviation sector on the verge of collapse.

The core function of AAI, which was carved out of the civil aviation ministry in 1995, was to improve quality and service in airports across the country. Officials decided that of AAI's two principal responsibilities, operations and engi

neering, operations would be the first priority as it involved safety and quality of terminal management as well as airside operations.
However, several projects and extensive construction work over the past few years has changed the character of AAI, with the authority hiring fewer airport management and operation experts and more engineers. Experts say

Airlines protest BIAL discount to AirAsia

New Delhi: After the unsuccessful bid to block the entry of AirAsia India, competitors have now opened a fresh front against the new player by protesting against Bangalore airport’s decision to give discounts to airline, which uses the airport as their base.

AirAsia India has started using Bangalore as its operational hub since it started its initial flights from there and the rivals allege that the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) decision is aimed at benefiting AirAsia India.

Rivals like IndiGo and SpiceJet, who have come under a common platform of Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), feel that the discounts give an unfair advantage to AirAsia India as no other airport offers such incentives. However, they refused to comment when approached.

‘Naming Vijay Mallya a wilful defaulter tough’

Mumbai: Lenders to grounded Kingfisher Airline Ltd may be routinely using the phrase ‘wilful defaulter’ while discussing its chairman, the beleaguered business baron Vijay Mallya, also the chairman of the UB group, but it may be difficult for them to actually declare him a defaulter legally as there is no indication of fraud by Kingfisher Airlines, senior bankers told Cogencis.

“The Kingfisher Airlines case is a clear case of a venture that was an adventure, which banks also joined in. There is no case of fraud as the key issue was more of a mismatch between revenues projected and earned,” a chairman and managing director of a large Mumbai-based bank said.

Talks to extend Juhu runway into sea revived

Mumbai: The old proposal to extend Juhu airport's main runway into the sea was resurrected during a meet between civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Airports Authority of India on Monday.
"The plan was to extend the runway's length into the sea to enable aircraft like ATRs to be diverted here to decongest Mumbai airport,'' said a source.

British Academic Denied Entry to India

Officials of Birkbeck, University of London have confirmed a report in The Hindu that one of their scholars was unexpectedly denied entry to India to attend an international academic conference. Indian officials have not confirmed the incident or commented on it.
The statement from Birkbeck follows: “We can confirm that Dr Penny Vera-Sanso, Principal Investigator for research projects on poverty and ageing in India, at Birkbeck, University of London, was turned away at Hyderabad airport early on Sunday morning, June 8. Dr. Vera-Sanso had been invited to attend the International Federation of Aging Conference. She was refused entry by immigration officials without explanation. Dr. Vera-Sanso was traveling with a valid passport and visa issued to her for the purpose of developing further research on aging with India’s academic community, last used for a visit to India in March 2014. Dr. Vera-Sanso, a respected researcher who has undertaken research in India since 1990, has met with an official at the Indian High Commission in London since her return but the reason for the decision is not clear at this point. ..”

Jet Airways declared 'Best Domestic Airline' at the CNBC Awaaz Travel Awards 2014

Jet Airways was declared the 'Best Domestic Airline" at the eighth edition of the CNBC Awaaz Travel Awards 2014. The awards were presented by CNBC Awaaz, India's business channel, in association with Madhya Pradesh Tourism, a body of the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

Mr. Tariq Abbasi, Manager Key Accounts - Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Bihar - Jet Airways, received the award from Mr. Sanjay Pugalia - Managing Editor CNBC and Mr. Raghevendra Singh, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation, at Indore in the presence of several luminaries from the travel trade industry.

The CNBC Awaaz travel awards, seek to recognize and honour the best in class destinations, organizations and service providers based on an objective study conducted across Indian cities, with over 10,000 respondents covering segments such as Adventure, General public, Corporate.

Make aam admi, not Maharaja, mascot of Indian aviation: Modi

New Delhi: he Maharaja must be replaced by the aam admi as the mascot of Indian aviation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have conveyed this to aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju when the latter briefed him about the critical condition of the debt-laden sector on Saturday.
The PM took notes as the minister and secretary Ashok Lavasa described how the sector was facing existential crisis thanks to its Rs 49,000-crore loans. He keenly heard the required policy initiatives and taxation reforms the sector is hoping from the government to come out of this mess. A lower cost regime, stressed the aviation team, will be able to lead to safe and affordable flying that will lead to the common man becoming the face of aviation — a far cry when flying was only for the Maharajas.

In 16 days, 5 air misses in Mumbai

Mumbai : In sixteen days during the second and third week of May, five "air miss incidents" took place over Mumbai skies as aircraft came in close proximity of each other, said a source.
 However, the topmost Airports Authority of India (AAI) official (western region) tasked with monitoring aviation safety was kept in the dark about the cases.
 The air traffic control services in the country are provided by the AAI. An increase in near miss incidents over the congested Mumbai skies is primarily the organization’s concern. The authority investigates and finds solutions to remedy such situations, but the job function has not been taking place as mandated.
"AAI officials have been suppressing from me air miss incident reports since last year. They are being aided and abetted by the higher-ups in AAI headquarters," stated a letter sent on April 30 by S Mangala, AAI deputy general manager (aviation safety) of the western region to A K Sharma, regional AAI executive director.

Copra prohibited on flights: Airline

Bangalore: SpiceJet authorities have issued an explanation in reaction to the story 'Airlines staff go nuts over coconuts'. (BM, June 17) in which a passenger alleged harassment on the part of the airline for carrying dried coconuts in her baggage.

"Dried coconuts (also known as copra) are considered flammable items since they have a tendency of self-heating (IATA DGR class 4.2 - 30 to 40% oil content), and are hence prohibited for transport as checked-in baggage. These items can be carried as cargo in limited quantity but with appropriate packing," said a note from Kamal Hingorani, senior vice-president and head of in-flight services and customer experience of SpiceJet.

Decision on Air India's induction into Star Alliance today

New Delhi: The brass of Star Alliance will meet in London on Monday to decide on Air India's induction into the 26-member global airlines’ grouping which could give the government-owned carrier's passengers the facility of seamless travel to over 1,200 destinations. If the membership is granted, it would end Air India's seven-year wait to access the alliance's global network of 18,000 daily flights to 1,269 airports in 193 countries.

The member-airlines of Star Alliance together own a total of 4,338 aircraft and fly 640 million passengers a year, many of whom can also earn and burn frequent flyer miles on the entire alliance network.

IGI infrastructure faces summer test

New Delhi: With all trains booked two months in advance , many travellers during the summer vacation are usually not left with any option but to fly to their destinations. This summer, IGI's domestic terminal has already witnessed a 1.5-2-fold rise in footfall compared to the offpeak period. The rush that began in May is likely to continue till August.

According to airport sources, the extra rush at the domestic terminal—25 ,000-30 ,000 people are stepping in daily while off-peak footfall was 15,000-20 ,000—is putting resources to test. The most intense periods are during Friday and Saturday evenings with the numbers peaking around 6pm when a lot of local passengers arrive for their weekend getaways. The time between 6am and 8am on Monday morning is another mad scramble when these travellers presumably return.

Jet, Etihad Airways stop discount fares for children on UAE sector

Mumbai: Travelling with children may become more expensive on Jet Airways and Etihad Airways from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India.
The two airlines have stopped giving discounts to children aged between 2 and 11 on direct flights from Abu Dhabi/Dubai to India, it is reliably learnt. A ticket for a child will now cost the same as that of a regular ticket.
Confirming the development, a spokesperson for Jet Airways said: “Effective June 16, Jet Airways has discontinued the child discount of 25 per cent from Abu Dhabi/Dubai to India. From Dubai there is no child discount since February1. This is due to the prevailing market practice.” The child discount programme remains unchanged on other international routes, Jet said.

Focus back on MH370 pilot because of deleted flight path

The renewed interest in Malaysia Airlines flight MH370's pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, stems from the fact that he had plotted a flight path to a remote island far into the southern Indian Ocean on his flight simulator at home.
The Telegraph reported today that suspicion of Capt Zaharie's involvement has grown as investigators have gradually eliminated other suspects and causes of the plane's disappearance.
Sources confirmed to the Telegraph that a deleted flight path had been recovered from Zaharie's simulator, which had been used to practise landing an aircraft on a small runway on an unnamed island in the southern Indian Ocean.
It has been more than three months since the Boeing 777-200ER from KLIA to Beijing disappeared off the radar in the early hours of March 8 with 239 people on board.
With few clues and no sign of the aircraft despite a massive international search effort concentrated on the Indian Ocean, foreign reports said investigators were once again turning their sights on Zaharie.
The Telegraph's report said the flight path in Zaharie's home simulator had been deleted before MH370 disappeared.

MH370 captain plotted route to southern Indian Ocean on home simulator

New Delhi: The pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane which disappeared in March with 239 people on board had plotted a flight path to a remote island far into the southern Indian Ocean where the search is now focused, investigators have discovered.
The route, which was deleted before MH370 disappeared on March 8, was made on a home flight simulator machine used for practice by its captain, Zaharie Shah. Its discovery has intensified suspicion that he deliberately hijacked his own plane and diverted it from its approved flight path to Beijing.
More than three months have now passed since the flight disappeared in what has become one of the great mysteries of modern aviation. And despite a lack of any hard evidence, suspicion of Capt Zaharie's involvement has grown as investigators have gradually eliminated other potential suspects and causes of its disappearance.

‘Rs 49k cr losses put aviation sector on verge of collapse’

New Delhi: The civil aviation sector is on the verge of collapse with accumulated losses of Rs 49,000 crore and needs an urgent boost to prevent more Kingfisher-type meltdowns and job losses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was told on Saturday.

The review meeting saw civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju pointing out that poor returns from airports, burgeoning costs and a tax structure that hurt Indian maintainance, repair and overhaul industry was burying the sector under debt.

Aviation ministry’s PowerPoint to PM highlights safety, connectivity issues

New Delhi: Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Saturday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on crucial issues facing the aviation sector like building of airports at non-metro cities, slashing of taxes on jet fuel and turning around the ailing Air India.
A detailed presentation is understood to have been made on the issues which also included downgrade of India’s safety ranking by US regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and review of the rule requiring an airline to have flown domestic for five years and having a 20-aircraft fleet, before it could be allowed to fly abroad.
The previous government was actively considering scrapping this rule on the grounds that an airline would have to first establish itself domestically before it could be allowed to fly abroad.
This issue would be crucial to start-up carriers like AirAsia India and Tata-SIA Airlines who would want to launch international flights as soon as they can.

Decision on Air India's Induction Into Star Alliance on June 23

New Delhi: The top brass of Star Alliance will meet in London on Monday to decide on Air India's induction into the 26-member global airlines' grouping which could give the national carrier's passengers the facility of seamless travel to over 1,200 destinations.

If the membership is granted, it would end Air India's seven-year-long wait to access the alliance's global network of over 18,000 daily flights to 1,269 airports in 193 countries.

The member airlines of Star Alliance together own a total of 4,338 aircraft and fly over 640 million passengers a year, many of whom can also earn and burn frequent flyer miles on the entire alliance network.

Less queues to declare dutiable goods at Delhi airport

New Delhi: Flyers bringing in dutiable goods including televisions and electronic gadgets will not have to   stand in long queues to get them cleared from now. Customs authorities have introduced an electronic system to calculate duty on any goods and material, other then free   allowances, being brought by them to India at Indira Gandhi   International Airport (IGIA) here, official sources said. Earlier, the calculation of duty on goods was being done  manually at the airport.The system-Systematic Keeper of Receipts will keep a   record of items being brought by a passenger into the country  without any human intervention. The time in calculation of   duty on goods by the new system installed at red channel will be one-tenth as compared to the old practice, they said.
A passenger had to spend on an average at least 20 minutes for getting duty calculated on the goods brought by   him. This was in addition to time spent in standing in queues.

Filmmakers seeks concession on airfares

In a bid to attract more patrons to the Ladakh International Film Festival, which will take place in Leh between June 27 and June 29, filmmakers like VishalBhardwaj, Mani Ratnam, RakeyshOmprakashMehra and ShyamBenegal have written to the Union Minister for Civil Aviation, AshokGajapathiRajuPusapati, requesting him to assist them with tickets at discounted rates for those flying to the festival.

Tigerair launches pay only one-way fare on return journey offer for ICICI Bank customers

Mumbai: Tigerair, the budget arm of Singapore Airlines has launched a special offer for ICICI Bank customers, which allows them pay only one-way fare on a return journey ticket to Singapore, as per a PTI report. During the offer period, the debit, credit and pre-paid card holders of the ICICI Bank can avail the opportunity to pay fares only for one way to Singapore, while the return ticket will be complimentary except for airport taxes and other charges, Tigerair said in a release. The offer is applicable on Tigerair flights from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Tiruchirappalli, it said. This offer is effective from June 16 to July 6, while the travel period will remain valid in two phases - from July 14 to October 31, 2014 and then January 19 to March 26, 2015.

CBI unravels customs corruption at IGI Airport, arrests Anil Yadav

Superintendent of Customs Anil Yadav, posted as Jewellery Appraiser in the office of Additional Commissioner, Customs at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs. 18,000 from a synthetic diamond importer from Surat, Gujarat.
The complainant had alleged that Anil Yadav, seemingly in a well-rehearsed routine, demanded a bribe at the rate of Rs 2 per carat for clearing a consignment of rough synthetic diamonds that were being imported from China. He filed a case against Yadav under Prevention of Corruption Act.
Acting on his complaint, CBI laid a trap and when Yadav demanded and then, accepted the bribe, he was arrested red-handed.

Rail fare hike: Passengers may ditch Railways, switch to low cost airlines

New Delhi: With the new government increasing the railway fare by a whopping 14.2 per cent, disgruntled passengers are now mulling to take the air route with domestic air fares dropping with new entrants. At a time when the foray of AirAsia India has changed the country's aviation market drastically and the domestic airlines have lucrative discounts on offer, the loyal rail passengers may ditch the grand old Indian Railways and opt for plane journeys.
With the 14.2 per cent increase in rail prices, a 3rd AC ticket on all long distance routes cost a minimum of Rs 2,000 and of course a passenger's valuable 24 to 48 hours. On the other hand, domestic airlines such as SpiceJet are offering discounted tickets for as low as Rs 1,999 to all the metros.

Rail vs air: New tariffs good news for airlines

New Delhi: The steep rail fare rise at a time when Budget carriers are offering discounted tickets every other day, has now made flying cheaper than chugging along for travellers who latch on to airline offers.

While regular airfares remain significantly higher than Rajdhani second AC fares (the benchmark for low-cost carriers or LCCs), travel industry insiders say that the airlines will drop advance purchase fares in the lean-travel months of January-March and July-September.

Lowering ATF, better connectivity on Aviation Min's agenda

Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today and raised the point of the need for greater regional air connectivity. This is for the first time that the Civil Aviation Minister is officially meeting the PM. Some of the critical things that he is highlighting is the need for greater regional air connectivity. Infact the whole idea behind it is to come up with airports in some of the smaller towns, some of the smaller cities and most importantly make it viable for airlines to fly into these places.

Privatization of AI not on agenda for Modi briefing

New Delhi: Privatization of debt-laden Air India is not on the priority item list of the aviation ministry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be given a presentation on aviation sector by aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa on Saturday. Instead of suggesting privatization of AI, the ministry will propose nursing the airline back to health before taking any such step.

"The agenda for AI is to restore its health. Privatization is not a priority, putting AI back on the right track is. Once that happens, other things can take place," said a source. It is learnt that aviation minister P Ashok Gajapatji Raju feels there is room for substantial improvement in the airline.

New flight routes can save airlines millions in fuel

Mumbai: New flight routes into and out of Houston based on navigation technology from a $42 billion US air-traffic modernization project will save airlines millions of dollars in fuel in one of the program’s first measurable results. Using satellite guidance adopted as part of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s NextGen project, airlines will cut fuel consumption by as much as 3 million gallons a year, which would reduce carbon emissions by 31,000 metric tons (68 million pounds), the agency said in a release.

The shorter flights are part of the US effort to accommodate more traffic at over-crowded airports and help them rebound quicker after weather-related delays. The fuel savings are among the first concrete improvements from NextGen, which uses GPS-based navigation and Internet-like communications with aircraft to make flying safer and more efficient. The project is being phased in through 2025.

Small airports can develop Telangana, Andhra Pradesh: experts

Hyderabad: Aviation experts say that developing large number of airports will spur development, though it might not be feasible to have more than two or three international airports in one state.

The new AP government had gone overboard promising a slew of airports every 100 or 150 kilometres, but experts say that only a small airport every few hundred kilometres is possible. The NDA government’s mandate aimed at improving connectivity is expected to help development, investment, as well as tourism.

International airports require a minimum of 9,000 metres of runway. Most states across the country have one or two international airports, only a few have three international airports. “Currently, there are almost 16 airstrips in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, some of which are dysfunctional.

In the AP Reorganization Act the Centre had promised three international airports to Andhra Pradesh in Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati.

Civil Aviation Min meets PM, briefs him about sector's problem

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Saturday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on crucial issues facing the aviation sector like building of airports at non-metro cities, slashing of taxes on jet fuel and turning around the ailing Air India.

A detailed presentation is understood to have been made on the issues which also included downgrade of India's safety ranking by US regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and review of the rule requiring an airline to have flown domestic for five years and having a 20-aircraft fleet, before it could be allowed to fly abroad.

International flights run into air force barrier

Chandigarh: The approval of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was the main prerequisite for the final launch of international flights from the city airport, a hurdle that has never been crossed and one which highlights the futility of the Punjab government boasting about the clearance for Dubai and Bangkok flights.

On Thursday, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal met union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati and announced that Indigo, Spice Jet and UAE Airlines have been given permission to operate international flights from Chandigarh to Dubai and Bangkok. However, Indigo and Spice Jet had already obtained permission from the director general civil aviation in September 2013 for launching flights from Chandigarh to Dubai and Bangkok. But refusal of the IAF authorities, which controls the local runway and the air traffic control (ATC), slammed brakes on their plans.

National Carrier Air India in talks with OnAir to have Wifi on board

National carrier Air India may soon have mobile internet access on board for its international flights. The airline is in discussions with various global agencies which provide equipment for satellite broadband access, a facility now available on other airlines such as British Airways, American Airlines, Emirates and Lufthansa.

The Airline's top officials, according to sources, met OnAir, the largest such agency in Geneva, this year, to discuss the options of installing on board Wifi base stations on international flights

Turbulence for Jet-Etihad deal in Singaporean skies

New Delhi: After crossing several regulatory hurdles in India, the over R2,000-crore deal between Jet Airways and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad may be in for another spot of minor turbulence. The Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) is now scrutinising the ‘proposed commercial alliance’ between the two airlines to see if it will have an impact on Singapore's aviation industry.
CCS has sought feedback from third parties on the Jet-Etihad commercial agreement by July 11 under Section 34 of the city-state's Competition Act, following which it will take a view on the matter.
“CCS received a notification for decision on 6 June 2014, with regard to the Proposed Commercial Alliance between Etihad and Jet. The Proposed Commercial Alliance relates to the provision of international air passenger transport services (and associated support services), with a specific focus on the Singapore origin and destination (O&D) city pairs affected by the Proposed Commercial Alliance,” a CCS statement said.

Airline Industry to Invest in New IT Initiatives: Survey

New Delhi: Almost the entire airline industry plans to invest over the next three years in new IT initiatives ranging from managing flight disruptions to introducing self-service technologies for passengers to meet such challenges, a global survey has shown.

The survey shows that by 2017, 90 per cent of airlines plan to use business intelligence solutions to manage flight disruptions more effectively and efficiently, while 87 per cent plan to use self-service technologies to improve passenger services during periods of disruption.

Informing passengers of disruptions in real-time through the mobile phone was now being offered by over half of the airlines surveyed, while 92 per cent planned to do so by 2017, said the survey carried out by major aviation communications and IT firm Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautique (SITA), based in Geneva.

The initial focus of the airlines was on real-time communication with passengers and between stakeholders, the survey launched at the ongoing Air Transport IT Summit in Brussels showed.
Read news in full 20/06/14 NDTV

Tata-Singapore Airlines JV expects operator permit next month, ops in Sept

New Delhi: The Tata-Singapore Airlines (Tata-SIA) joint venture expects to get the air operators’ permit (AOP) next month, with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's audit process now in its final stage, a top company official told FE. With the last leg of approvals in place, the full-service carrier will announce its brand name in early August, before starting commercial operations in September.
“Few steps are left, like the proving flight by our own pilots. We expect to get the AOP by July, and the planes (Airbus A320s) will start coming from August. In the first year of operations, we will have five aircraft, increasing it to 20 over the first four years,” the official said.
He added, “We have appointed agencies to select a brand name, which we hope to announce in early August”.

Peak season trouble: Patna, Jammu, Leh face flight crunch to Delhi

New Delhi: With summer break set to be over in exactly a fortnight, there is a mad scramble to fly back to Delhi from three cities with critically short runway airports — Leh, Patna and Jammu. The directorate general of civil aviation's (DGCA) directive to IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir to fly their planes 15% to 20% empty out of these short runways in this grueling heat for safety reasons has meant a spate of cancellations.

Neither Air India nor Jet Airways are in a position to absorb the cancellations of the three airlines. As a result, there are no seats on certain sectors or fares have shot through the roof. "When cancellations like this happen, flyers have to be adjusted in flights on subsequent days. This leads to blocking of seats on flights for several days and so there are no seats available on some sectors for a few days," said a source.

IndiGo registers highest number of fliers at 1.9 million in May

Mumbai: Indian carriers managed to fill their flights a little more in May over April as lower fares during summer vacations encouraged more people to travel. Overall, however, the air passenger traffic in the month grew just 8% and for January-May period about 3%, compared to the previous year.

Airlines continued to add more capacity than there was demand for, indicating it will be a while before the health of the industry improves. Market rankings remained largely unchanged month-on-month with IndiGo flying the maximum number of passengers, overall and per flight, as well as having the most punctual operations in the industry. Indian carriers flew 6.02 million passengers in May, compared to 5.31 million in April and 5.58 million a year earlier, according to figures released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the country's aviation regulator.

Civil aviation ministry clearance for flights to Dubai, Bangkok from Chandigarh

Chandigarh:  The ministry of civil aviation on Thursday gave clearance to start international flights from Chandigarh for Dubai and Bangkok. This decision was taken by the Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati during a meeting held with Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in New Delhi. Sources said the minister for civil aviation confirmed to Punjab CM that Indigo, Spice Jet and UAE airlines had been given permission to operate their international flights from Chandigarh to Dubai and Bangkok in near future. The Union minister also expressed that new flights would cater to major rush from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Haryana, who have to go to Delhi, saving their time, money and energy.

Domestic Air Traffic Pick Up on Discount Splurge

Bangalore: Frequent discounted ticket offers by airlines seems to have paid off as domestic air traffic in India grew 2.78% since January-May 2014 compared to the same period last year.
The combined total of all Indian carriers ferried a total of  60.22 lakh passengers in May 2014  when compared to 57.10 lakh in April. The total number of passengers since January 2014 rising to 267.22 lakh as against 260 lakh in the same period in the corresponding year, it was reported.
Low cost carrier, IndiGo continued its market share domination with 31.7% share and 82% occupancy (Passenger Load Factor).

India grabs aviation woes by the horns

Kolkata: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is pushing through concrete plans to overhaul the aviation sector barely a month into the new government's term, while also taking steps to address the downgrade of India's safety ranking by US authorities (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 4, 2014).

Airports of Indore, Bhopal and Raipur will be allowed international flights by 1Q2015, while the Airports Authority of India has identified 50 airports across India to be built on a low-cost model. A contract for the modernisation of Port Blair airport in Andaman & Nicobar Islands will be awarded soon.

Rita Dhanwatay, director of Nagpur-based Ritz Safari, commented: “More international flights arriving to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities will cut costs for inbound tourists.

Zimbabwe, India sign Air Service Agreement

Government has signed an Air Service Agreement with India which seeks to regularise the operation of air transport services between the two countries.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the Air Services Agreement in Harare, Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Obert Mpofu said the agreement seeks to achieve the promotion of an international aviation system based on competition among airlines.

He said the agreement ensures the highest degree of safety and security in international air services and reaffirmation of the two countries grave concern about acts or threats against the security of aircraft, safety of persons or property.

“The signing of this agreement marks the end of a journey that started with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between our two countries on May 20 2010 in New Delhi, India,” Mpofu said.

Couple suffers cardiac arrest on flight, both die

New Delhi: Tragedy struck an elderly couple travelling on a SpiceJet flight from New Delhi to Guwahati on Thursday afternoon when both of them suffered suspected cardiac arrest and died soon after.
According to sources, a 75-year-old man, identified by airline sources as Shantilal Jain, suffered the cardiac arrest onboard initially. Due to the medical emergency, the aircraft turned back towards Delhi. About the time the aircraft was landing, his 65-year-old wife Premlata also fell unconscious on board after she too suffered a suspected cardiac arrest. SpiceJet sources said Premlata Jain had a history of brain-tumour and was a wheelchair passenger. The elderly couple were rushed to hospital from Delhi airport in ambulances after the flight landed but were declared dead.

Officers' body worried over malfunctioning radars, writes to AAI

An officers' association has written to Airports Authority of India (AAI) top bosses over the poor functioning of radars at many airports in the country, highlighting the risk this poses to people's safety.

Radars are important tools of aircraft navigation system and any failure or error on their part at any busy airport can have a cascading effect the world over.

Falling of radar antenna at Delhi airport just by a moderate wind of less than 50 knots on June 13 prompted the association to write to AAI.

Two more senior executives quit Jet Airways

Mumbai: Jet Airways chief strategy and planning officer Abdulrahman Albusaidy and its head of cargo Mohammad Ali El Ariss have quit the airline.
This makes it the seventh top level exit in a year since Etihad picked up 24% stake and comes in the wake of its worst ever quarter which saw airline reporting Rs 2465 crore loss.
The reason behind the resignations is not known. Jet Airways did not respond to an email query seeking comments.
Albusaidy, the chief strategy and planning officer, is a former Gulf Air executive and an old timer with Jet Airways. An Omani national, he was on the board of Jet Airways between 1994-97, when Gulf Air held a stake in the carrier.

RTI query nails Haryana's claims about airports at Karnal, Hisar

Chandigarh:  While Haryana may have claimed to build civil airports in Karnal and Hisar, it has emerged that the state government never approached ministry of civil aviation to speed up process of feasibility survey and other formalities required before setting up airports after making an announcement on July 31, 2013. Haryana government claimed to have obtained in-principle approval from the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) for setting up two airports at the existing airfields of Karnal and Hisar, information received through RTI Act query reveals to the contrary.

Information sourced through RTI Act that no such letter was written by the state government to the Union civil aviation ministry and the development of airports at Hisar and Karnal was not under consideration of the Centre. Karnal-based advocate and RTI activist Rajesh Sharma had sought information about Haryana government's efforts to set up the airports from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

IndiGo plans to hit the IPO market by Q3 FY14: Sources

India's budget airline, IndiGo wants to make the most of the current bull run. ET NOW learns that the airline's holding company, InterGlobe Aviation is gearing up to hit the capital market with a big-bang IPO by the third quarter of this financial year. Three independent sources with direct knowledge share that IndiGo has initiated the process and is in talks with merchant bankers for the public issue.

IndiGo continues market leadership

Mumbai: IndiGo it retained its leadership position in domestic skies with 31.7 percent market share in May but its loads have been showing a declining trend in first five months in comparison to same period last year. In comparison Air India is showing growth in its occupancy on an year-on-year basis.

Domestic air traffic was up 5.4 percent in May compared to same month last year and airlines carried over six million passengers last month compared to 5.7 million passengers last May. Domestic airline capacity was up 7.5 percent on year-on-year basis and demand showed growth. May is peak season for travel coinciding with school and college holidays and the month showed the fastest growth in passengers in first five months.

SpiceJet, IndiGo among world's top 10 cheapest carriers: Survey

New Delhi: No-frill carriers, SpiceJet and IndiGo have been placed among top 10 cheapest airlines in the world, with Firefly of Malaysia emerging the cheapest, a survey by a US travel website said.

Firefly took the top spot by offering a one-way flight tickets, including 20 kg of checked-in baggage fees, at an average of 30 euros.

SpiceJet, which was placed at the second spot, was offering a one-way ticket at an average of 52.24 euros, while the cost of one-way ticket of IndiGo, placed in the eighth position, came to 68.37 euros.

GoAir to promote Kashmir for corporate tourism

GoAir in collaboration with Department of Tourism Kashmir and Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC), Srinagar has decided to promote Kashmir for Convention tourism.
In this regard, Director Tourism Kashmir Talat Parvez had earlier on June 14 met GoAir CEO Giorgio De Roni and discussed with him the strategies as to how Kashmir can be promoted for convention tourism.
Director Tourism Kashmir and Director SKICC Yasmeen Khan also meet GoAir General Manager Marketing Hemesh Shenoy on Wednesday to further discuss about promoting Kashmir across India and abroad.
“I had a meeting with CEO GoAir on June 14 where we discussed various ways to promote Kashmir for conventions in the corporate world. Kashmir is the ideal place for MICE tourism and SKICC is a wonderful property to promote convention tourism so that we receive good number people from corporate,” said Talat Parveez while having meeting with GoAir officials here at SKICC today.

Land trouble casts shadow over Karnal airport

Chandigarh: Additional requirement of land has put the much-hyped projects of civil airports in Hisar and Karnal in a limbo. Union ministry of civil aviation and Haryana government are on the verge of discreetly shelving the plan for the Karnal airport.

Sources said the state government was pursuing the Centre for developing the airport in Hisar. Haryana civil aviation department officials admitted to problems in acquiring land in Karnal, but were hopeful of procuring land in Hisar. Haryana director general of civil aviation A M Sharan has recently sent a proposal with the details of additional land available in Hisar for the airport.

SLA refutes allegations of inaction in sexual harassment case

Mumbai: SriLankan Airlines on Thursday refuted allegations of inaction in a "sexual harassment" case filed by one of its Delhi-based woman employees, saying a competent committee set up under the Vishaka guidelines has already investigated the matter before closing it in 2012.
However, at the same time, the Airline, in a statement, said it is already in the process of obtaining legal advice from its lawyers in India and will take appropriate action.
An Indian woman employee of Srilankan Airlines had yesterday moved a petition in the Delhi High Court for action against the air carrier for alleged non-implementation of the Vishaka guidelines which deals with cases of sexual harassment at workplaces.
The petition by the woman, a sales executive in the airline, was mentioned by advocate Ajay Verma who said her complaint of sexual harassment against a senior colleague, a Sri Lankan, has been pending since 2009 and the airline has not taken any action against him.

Flying full: To save skin, airlines punish passengers

Jammu: After being cornered by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for flying full, three major airlines to evade action are unilaterally canceling the booking of passengers at the last minute.
Sources said that three airlines were served notices by the regulator for allegedly violating the safety norms by flying full from Jammu airport.
According to sources the airlines, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir were threatened with stoppage of operations to airports with small runways if found guilty of flouting payload restrictions while flying to and from Jammu.

Air India to fly B787 Mumbai–Chennai–Singapore

Air India will introduce the B787 Dreamliner to its daily Mumbai–Chennai–Singapore service from October 25.
The carrier's Boeing 787-8, which will replace the incumbent A330-200 on the route, offers a two-class cabin layout with 18 seats in business (2-2-2) and 238 in economy (3-3-3).
Business class passengers will appreciate the new seat offering available on the B787 — the current product on the A330 only offers a 13-inch recline and 52-inch pitch, whereas the Dreamliner's business seat is a flat-bed and has a more generous 74-inch pitch.

Air India quietly taking on budget carriers, offers cheap tickets on busy routes

Mumbai: Even as India's four budget carriers wage fare wars to gain shares in the market, Air India has been quietly undercutting them with lowest ticket prices on busy routes.
However, India's national carrier is selling cheap tickets even closer to the travel date, indicating it is desperately trying to fill empty flights. For instance, the airline is selling flights to Bangalore-Goa on June 24 as low as 2,059 while AirAsia is selling it at 4,840. The route became popular after AirAsia India started its maiden flight on the Bangalore-Goa route last week.
On Ahmedabad-Mumbai sector, Air India is offering fares as low as 3,559 early next week while the low fare carriers are offering tickets between 5,300 and 5,900.

Air India sacks 47 cabin crew members on grounds of absenteeism

New Delhi: Taking a tough stance to ensure discipline, Air India has sacked 47 members of its cabin crew and issued show-cause notices to 20 more on grounds of absenteeism.

While all of those sacked are stationed in Mumbai, 17 of those issued the notices for not showing up for three months without any intimation also belong to the western metropolis and the rest from Delhi, senior airline officials said.

However, those issued show-cause notices could re-join duty by June 30 after fulfilling necessary requirements and getting certified for sickness, if any, from Air India doctors, the officials said, adding that such disciplinary action taken on a regular basis has now become a deterrent for a total cabin crew strength of about 3,500.

SpiceJet monsoon offer to rain all over India

Mumbai: Low-cost airline SpiceJet stepped up the fare war on Tuesday by extending the special monsoon offer with a starting ticket price of Rs 1,999 ( all inclusive) to its pan-India operations. The offer is applicable to all domestic destinations to which SpiceJet flies, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, a company official said.
The bookings under the extended offer can be made from June 17 to June 19 with a travel period validity starting from July 19 and lasting up to September 30, 2014, the company said.
The offer comes a day after newlylaunched AirAsia India announced Kochi as its third destination in the network at an all inclusive fare of Rs 500. AirAsia India, which entered the budget segment space with its first flight to Goa from Bangalore on June 12, is now all set to launch its flight services on the second route, Bangalore- Chennai- Bangalore from Thursday.

Emirates Airlines to serve Indian regional dishes

Dubai: Those travelling to and from India on an Emirates flight can now enjoy regional Indian culinary offerings like 'sarson maach' and 'dhabe da ghost'.
The Dubai-based airline has introduced enhanced menus across 10 destinations in India that reflect regional tastes and customer preferences from across the country.
For example, customers on the Kolkata route can enjoy a sarson maach (mustard fish curry). Similarly, regional dishes such as turiya vatana muthia (ridge gourd and green peas dumpling) on flights to and from Ahmedabad, meen mulaku curry (fish in red gravy) on flights to Kerala, or dhabe da gosht (lamb meat cooked in pure ghee and flavoured with cardamoms and poppy seeds) on flights to Delhi, are some of the highlights.

Phase-I of Navi Mumbai airport by Dec 2018: CIDCO

Mumbai: The first phase of the proposed Rs 14,500-crore global airport at Navi Mumbai would be ready by December 2018, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) of Maharashtra Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Sanjay Bhatia said on Tuesday.

The body is the nodal agency for the project.

Bhatia said settlement of disputes with almost all villages for smooth land acquisition was CIDCO's priority. The agency is developing a 600-square-kilometre township for the airport, he added.


Other than the airport, CIDCO has started infrastructure development of Rs 20,000 crore for the nodes managed by it in Navi Mumbai.

Four Domestic Airports Coming up in Nellore, Vijayanagaram, Ongole and Anantapur?

Vijayawada: According to reliable sources, Andhra Pradesh government has taken decision to set up domestic airports in Nellore, Vijayanagaram, Ongole and Anantapur districts. Andhra Pradesh has to now concentrate on setting up new airports because of bifurcation.  The government is confident that they can set up new airports as the aviation minister in central government is Ashok Gajapati Raju who is from Andhra Pradesh.  The government is ready with proposals as there are chances that approval for setting up new airports will come fast.

In Andhra Pradesh, there are airports at Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada and the state government has proposal to upgrade these airports as international airports.  Gannavaram and Rajahmundry airports will also be expanded.  According information,  there are some problems for state government to utilize Visakhapatnam airport.  Navy higher authorities are objecting for foreign aero planes to come to Visakhapatnam due to security reasons.  Thus the state government wants to build a new international airport away from Visakhapatnam.

Airline Employee Moves HC for Implementing Vishaka Guidelines

An Indian woman employee of Srilankan Airlines here moved a petition in the Delhi High Court today for action against the air carrier for alleged non-implemention of the Vishaka guidelines which deals with cases of sexual harassment at workplaces.
The petition was mentioned before a vacation bench of justices Siddharth Mridul and Sunita Gupta which agreed to hear the matter on June 20.
The petition by the woman, a sales executive in the airline, was mentioned by advocate Ajay Verma who said her complaint of sexual harassment against a senior colleague, a Sri Lankan, has been pending since 2009 and the airline has not taken any action against him.

Foreign airlines like Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and others bring more business class seats to India

Mumbai: Foreign carriers are bringing a higher number of business class seats in their flights on India on growing demand as positive sentiment returns to the country's economy. German flag carrier and Europe's biggest airline Lufthansa has brought in its new Boeing 747-800 on the Mumbai-Frankfurt route on which it currently operates the 747-400. That will increase the number of business class seats to 80 from 66, making it the foreign carrier offering the most seats in this class to India. The total capacity per flight increases 10% to 386 seats.
"Our entire upper deck and a part of the lower deck will have business class seats," Wolfgang Will, director, south Asia for the carrier told ET in a recent interview.

20 Airports Authority of India officers get the 'International Airport Professional' status

New Delhi: Twenty officers of Airports Authority of India (AAI) have been granted the status of International Airport Professional (IAP), which would enable them to participate in and influence airport-related policies, activities and laws at the global level.

The IAP status, recognised by United Nations body International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), was granted to the officers at the annual assembly of the Airports Council International (ACI) in Seoul recently, an AAI statement said in New Delhi.

Jumbo plans fail, fliers suffer

The government and its various agencies bicker. Fliers like you and me pay the price.

This, in short, is the story of the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport in Patna — the facility does little to honour the great man it is named after.

Lack of consensus between the Bihar government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) — which works under the Union civil aviation ministry — over the years on either extending the runway or shifting the airport to a new location does not only force the airlines to operate under “risky” conditions, but also keeps adding to the woes of fliers in different forms.

The brunt of the short runway curse at the city airport was yet again borne by hundreds of fliers during the past two days after the directorate-general of civil aviation restricted GoAir and IndiGo airlines to fly their aircraft with full passenger load.

Hundreds of passengers faced sudden cancellation of tickets due to the strict stand taken by DGCA — which regulates civil aviation in India — after it found that both airlines were violating load penalty norms for around a fortnight.

Indian carriers may benefit from Changi Airport's fee reduction drive

Munbai:  In a move that could improve the profitability of carriers offering flights between India and Singapore, the Changi Airport Group is set to reduce the operational charges for airlines. Though the move has been welcomed by carriers, passengers may not see an immediate reduction in fares, according to analysts.

Currently, Jet Airways, Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Indigo, TigerAir and Air India offer direct flights between various Indian cities and Singapore’s Changi Airport, which is managed by the Changi Airport Group.

A recent directive from the airport says that all airlines operating from Changi Airport are to get an ‘across-the-board reduction’ in operating charges.

‘Aviation sector will create 3.5 lakh jobs in the next decade’

Chennai: In the next ten years, an additional 3.5 lakh employees will be required in the aviation sector for both commercial and cargo operations. However, the industry will face a major challenge in getting skilled employees to work in various disciplines, including ground handling, according to HR experts.

The Civil Aviation Policy, which suggests establishment of a Civil Aviation University, said there is an absence of qualitative and recognised formal educational programmes. The policy says there is no structured infrastructure that supports employee developmentin aviation.

Majority of State flying schools have been closed and aspiring students have to go abroad for basic training , said B. Govindarajan, Chief Operating Officer, Tirwin Management Services, a Chennai-based aviation training service provider.

Super-saver Gajapathi Raju puts ministry in power-save mode

New Delhi: His job may be to take care of Indian skies, but aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju's has shown equal concern for mother earth. The erstwhile royal of Vizinagaram in Andhra Pradesh is getting a master power switch installed in his office chamber at the ministry headquarters, Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, so that the minute he walks out, this is turned off and no lights remain on inside unnecessarily.

The minister wants to set an example for others and the move is going to be replicated in offices of all departments that come under the ministry nationwide. "We have seen that people are in the habit of keeping lights, ACs, TVs, computers and other electronics switched on even when they are not in their rooms or when they are not required.