GoAir delays IPO plans

GoAir has delayed plans for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Mumbai Stock Exchange airline sources have informed India's Economic Times newspaper.

According to the report, the carrier is waiting to reach critical mass before going public. As such, no provisional timeframe for the offering has been given.

Last year, management appointed Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Kotak Mahindra bank as underwiters for its planned INR10.22 billion (USD150 million) IPO. At the time, reports indicated the LCC's parent firm, Wadia Group, would dispose of a 23% stake in the airline.

Delhi: Soon, no entry for airport staff without Aadhaar

Ahead of Republic Day, Central Industrial Security Force has thrown a security blanket in and around Indira Gandhi International Airport. As part of a new initiative, after January 1, all airport entry passes will be issued only on the basis of Aadhaar number.
All employees have been asked to carry their Aadhaar cards for access to the building. CISF DG O P Singh said that the step was necessary to avoid unauthorised entry. There has been a spurt in incidents of trespass with people entering the premises using forged passes.

Number of airports to be doubled to 150 : Jayant Sinha

Aviation sector is the sunrise sector of growth and going through profound changes, remarked Mr. Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, while addressing the 89th Annual General Meeting of FICCI.

The aviation sector has dramatic headroom for growth with 150 million passenger trips a year as compared to China with 450 million passenger trips and USA at 800 million passenger trips a year. The total revenue of airlines is Rs 1.4 lakh crore and is growing at a rate of 20%. He added that as of today 9 crore passenger travel domestically and 5 crore internationally.

He emphasized that the government is committed to safety and security and will launch the unified command of CISF in the entire aviation system.
To Read the News in Full 28/12/16 Business Standard

Guyana Signs Open Skies Agreements

During the ninth annual International Civil Aviation (ICAN) 2016 conference, which was held in Nassau, Bahamas, from December 5-9, 2016, Guyana signed open skies agreements with the Dominican Republic, India and South Korea.

The agreement with India will allow an unlimited number of flights to six airports in India: New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai. The new arrangement will encourage connectivity and passenger travel between India and Guyana.

Online traffic has grown in aviation since demonetisation

It is difficult to pick out one specific technology that had a profound impact on the aviation industry in 2016.

But technology is evolving across segments and it had a role to play in the growth of online travel this year. If you see the net numbers, the growth in online travel was much higher than its offline counterpart. India’s online travel segment is expected to grow 17.8 per cent during 2013–2016E, outperforming the overall travel market by six percentage points. Online travel (online gross bookings) now constitutes an estimated 41 per cent of the overall Indian travel market, according to global research and analytics company Aranca. The reason for the growth are the attractive deals that the portals and airlines now offer to customers. And these deals are better than those offered by the travel agents.

India keeping away from CORSIA a major concern: IATA

Expressing disappointment over India not being part of the global pact to reduce emission in the aviation sector, global airlines grouping IATA has said it will be a "major concern" for Indian operators, but hoped that the country would join the framework in coming years. The Carbon Offsetting and Reporting Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) was agreed upon earlier this year under the aegis of ICAO. "The point on which we are disappointed... is that India didnt draw into CORSIA agreement," IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said even as he expressed hope that India would join the scheme.

Robots to Reduce Turnaround at India's Busiest Airport

India’s busiest airport, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, is embracing robotics for cleaning aircraft. The Nordic Dino robot, to be procured from Sweden’s Aviator, will first be used at Terminal 3 of IGI for washing narrow-body aircraft. The first machine is expected to arrive in February next year and start operations by April.

DGCA notice to GoAir for scant remote-area flights

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a showcause notice to Mumbaibased low-cost carrier GoAir for reportedly not operating adequate flights to remote areas. Scheduled airlines in India have to operate at least 10% of the number of their metro flights (category-I) to remote areas like Jammu & Kashmir, northeast, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep (category-II).
"GoAir has not been meeting this mandatory rule of route dispersal guidelines (RDG) for some time now. DGCA has taken a serious note of this as the rule is meant to ensure adequate connectivity. GoAir management met senior regulatory officials to request them not to take any action on this issue," said a source.
To Read the News in Full 27/12/16 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

Aviation PSUs to be rated against set goals in new review system

The aviation ministry is to start reviewing the performance of public sector undertakings (PSUs) under its aegis on a balance scorecard methodology, the favoured form in private enterprises, starting next month, doing away with the conventional ways of reviewing PSU performance.

“We are trying to institute a disciplined performance management system using the balance scorecard methodology. Over the last three months we have worked with each of the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to develop a balance scorecard that provides a comprehensive assessment of short-term and longterm performance. This will be reviewed by the ministry on a monthly basis,” minister of state for aviation Jayant Sinha told ET.

Nashik Inc invites pvt, public airlines to start flights

Industrialists from Nashik on Thursday invited private and public airlines to commence their services from the Ozar airport, around 20km from the city.
At a meeting called by the state government in Mumbai on Thursday, the Nashik Industries and Manufacturers' Association (NIMA) invited airlines like Air India and Jet Airways to commence their air services from the Ozar airport. The meeting was attended by principal secretary of civil aviation Shyam Lal Goel, respresentatives of Air India, Jet Airways and a few small airlines. Also present were local MP Hemant Godse, vice-chairman of Maharashtra Airport Development Committee Vishwas Patil and NIMA office-bearer Manish Rawal.

Airports In India May Soon Have Biometric Security Checks: Civil Aviation Minister

Fliers may soon be able to use biometric details for security checks at airports as the government works on putting in place such systems after receiving 'good feedback' for a pilot project.

Giving strong indications, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that having biometric systems for passengers at airports appear to be a good idea.

The innovative idea, close on the heels of authorities doing away with tagging requirement of hand baggages at select airports, comes at a time when efforts are being made to ensure that aviation security procedures are more efficient and less intrusive.

No new airport infra for vibrant 2017

The air passenger and aircraft traffic has seen substantial increase with every biennial Vibrant Summit. During January 2013 summit, 4 lakh passengers and 3,244 aircraft arrived at the city airport which increased to 5 lakh passengers and 3,350 aircraft during January 2015. Expecting increase in passenger and private aircraft traffic during the upcoming January 2017 Vibrant Summit, hectic parleys have started between the state government and Airports Authority of India. It should be noted that such exercises and plans are carried before every Vibrant Summit but nothing emerges from it.

Soon IGI Airport to get aircraft washing robots

Indira Gandhi International Airport will soon get aircraft washing robots to clean the jumbo jets. According to a Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) official, the washing technique will be imported from Sweden.
Till now, more than dozens of people were involved in cleaning the aircraft and they were consuming a lot of time and the quality of work was not up to the international standards either. But with these robots, aircraft will be cleaned in less time with more accuracy.
In this regard, DIAL has issued tender to Air India SATS as well. In India, this will be the first technique of its kind to be installed.

Runaway jackal finally trapped at airport

It was after a fourmonth-long hunt that a jackal was trapped from the premises of Lucknow airport on Saturday . The animal, a female, was sent to Lucknow zoo.
After pug marks of a jackal were seen as close as 900 metres from the runway in August, the Lucknow airport authorities had brought the matter to the notice of the forest department. Ten cages and 10 sensor-enabled cameras were installed across the 4sq km area of the airport premises to trap jackals.
The cages and camera will continue to be in place."There might be more jackals," said range officer, Sarojininagar, MP Gautam.

Rough weather ahead for UDAN

Come January 2017, and you will be able to fly from Jamnagar to Ahmedabad or Allahabad to Gorakhpur… or so claims the government. The Modi government’s ambitious regional connectivity scheme (RCS) promises convenient travel between state capitals and remote regional areas, efficient business and trade opportunities, and profitability for under-served and unserved airports. 
While launching the scheme, titled UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik), on October 21, civil aviation minister A Gajapathi Raju said, “UDAN is the result of the prime minister’s vision of getting ‘every hawai chappal wearing Indian to board a hawai jahaz’. We are cautiously optimistic about it.”

Free local flights for patients, people with special needs for 1 month

The Uttarakhand aviation department on Sunday announced that patients, women and children with special needs will be given free rides on the low-cost aircrafts from Dehradun to three other destinations for one month. The much-awaited low-cost flight services, between the state capital and three other parts of the state, will start soon.
Announcing the new scheme, aviation secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram said: "Under special circumstances, with the prior clearance from the district administration, people including patients, women and children, will be offered free air travel facility in the state's regional connectivity. This facility will be offered for one month."
To Read the News in Full 26/12/16 The Times Of India

Jet Airways Extends Sale, Offers Tickets Starting Rs 990

Jet Airways has extended its promotional scheme offering fares starting as low as Rs 990 on select domestic flights under economy class travel. Under Jet Airways' "Best Fares Forever" offer, tickets must be purchased till December 27, 2016, for travel on or after January 4, 2017. "Tickets must be purchased a minimum of 15 days prior departure," the airline said on its website, adding that limited seats are available under the offer on a first come, first serve basis.

Government to airlines: use Gagan GPS or face consequences

The government has warned domestic airlines of `consequences' if they did not adopt the Rs 774 crore GPS-Aided Geo Aug mented Navigation system. The warning came during a meeting called by the DGCA earlier this week with all stakeholders, including the airlines, who have not availed of the system even 18 months after its launch.Jointly developed by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Airports Authority of India (AAI), at an investment of Rs 774 crore, the GAGAN system was officially launched by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in July last year. It is said to make airline operations more efficient and cut down costs as it reduces separation between aircraft, increases air safety and fuel efficiency. The National Civil Aviation Policy, announced by the government in June, makes it mandatory for all aircraft registered in India from January 1, 2019 to be GAGAN-enabled.

Puducherry airport may be revived by January: CM

The territorial administration is hopeful of operationalising the defunct airport here by January next year, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said here on Monday.

Addressing a press conference here, he said following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Government of Puducherry and the Union Government, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had revived projects to operationalise the airport by next month.

Pay to choose seats in domestic airlines, even for middle seat

Shell out a little more even if you want a middle seat in flights with airlines charging extra for preferred seats as they look to increase their ancillary revenues amid stiff competition. With regulations permitting unbundling of various services offered by domestic carriers, choosing a particular seat, especially the window ones and those with more leg space, comes at extra cost.
Charging extra for choice of seats in flights, including the middle ones, is a commonly accepted international practice and is not something new. It also helps in adding to the ancillary revenues, aviation industry officials said. Passengers give more preference for window and aisle seats as well as those having extra leg room, they added.

Air India New Year Sale: All-Inclusive Rs. 849 Tickets On Offer

National carrier Air India is offering all inclusive one-way economy fares starting from Rs. 849 on select routes under a New Year scheme.

Bookings under Air India's New Year Sale - available on travel from January 15, 2017 to April 30, 2017 (both days inclusive) - can be made till December 31, 2016. The all-inclusive one-way fare of Rs. 849 is available on Chennai-Coimbatore and Bengaluru-Hyderabad routes, the airline said on its website.

Delhi Int’l Airport Ltd. Defers Fee On In-Flight Refreshments Till February 2017

In a hearing that took place in the Delhi High Court this Wednesday, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has agreed to defer its decision to levy a fee on in-flight food and beverages provided by private airlines like Spice Jet, Indigo, Go Air and Jet Airways till 8th February, 2017.

The verbal declaration by DIAL was given in the presence of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva who further issued notice to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DIAL, Airports Authority of India (AAI), and four flight kitchen operators namely, Oberoi Flight Services, Taj Sats Air Catering Ltd, Ambassador (SkyChef), and Sky Gourmet Catering Pvt. Ltd. The notice has been issued to request the aforementioned parties’ responses on a plea by the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) regarding a 16% fee on the cost price of food and beverages procured by the carriers.
To Read the News in Full 26/12/16 Ankita/Hungry Forever

After Plans To Charge For Sitting With Family, Now Airlines Might Charge You For Choosing Your Seat!

Shell out a little more, even if you want a middle seat in flights with airlines charging extra for preferred seats as they look to increase their ancillary revenues amid stiff competition.
With regulations permitting unbundling of various services offered by domestic carriers, choosing a particular seat, especially the window ones and those with more leg space, comes at extra cost.
Charging extra for choice of seats in flights, including the middle ones, is a commonly accepted international practice and is not something new. It also helps in adding to the ancillary revenues, aviation industry officials said.
Passengers give more preference for window and aisle seats as well as those having extra leg room, they added.
A Jet Airways spokesperson said allowing guests to pre-reserve seats for a fee is a prevalent and commonly accepted industry practice by almost all major airlines, full service as well as low cost, in the world.

2016: For aviation sector, new year heralds business in smaller cities

The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) proposes initiatives for new airports, a separate set of regulations for helicopters, and a boost for skill development.

It wants every Indian to fly at least once a year with a fare cap of Rs 2,500 for a one-hour flight. A keenly awaited announcement was about the controversial 5/20 rule, which said a domestic player must have completed five years and run a fleet of 20 aircraft to be eligible to start foreign services, and as expected, it was scrapped but not to the satisfaction of new players.

The government overruled the objections of old players like Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo, but did not completely go ahead and appease new players like Vistara and AirAsia India, waiting in the wings.

No stamps for hand-luggage soon to get permanent

Airlines will soon stop stamping hand luggage with security tags in a bid to cut down travellers reporting time.
On Friday, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security chief Rajesh Kumar Chandra asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to make non-stamping at airports a permanent feature after a successful week-long pilot project in metro cities. CISF chief O P Singh has said that the agency will take a call on the issue of non-stamping at metros after January 26. The pilot project was undertaken at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports from December 15 to 22. From Monday, non-stamping will start at Guwahati, Patna, Lucknow, Jaipur, Nagpur, Trivandrum and Kochi airports.
To Read the News in Full 24/12/16 The Times Of India

Fliers can carry power banks only in hand baggages: Jet Airways

Jet Airways today said passengers can carry power banks only in their cabin bags and not in check-in baggages.
In recent times, safety concerns have been expressed in certain quarters about electronic devices, especially those having lithium batteries being carried in check-in baggages.
Against this backdrop, Jet Airways said that in the interest of safety, power banks would be allowed only in hand baggages.
To Read the News in Full 23/12/16 PTI/The Indian Express

Sky is the limit in Mysuru

Bengaluru has four airports to Mysuru’s one, but it is the latter that got the tourism department’s nod as the destination for skydiving as a part of its adventure tourism. The heritage city was found to be more conducive in terms of airspace and weather conditions. More importantly, it was the one identified as a safe drop zone for skydivers.

Three airports situated within a radius of 20 km – Kempegowda International Airport near Devanahalli, Air Force Station at Yelahanka and the Jakkur aerodrome – in north Bengaluru lost the race because of “having a very busy airspace” in the area. The HAL airport does not entertain any adventure sporting activity.

Jet Airways bans power banks in check-in baggages

Domestic carrier Jet Airways on Friday said that it will not permit passengers to carry power banks from any manufacturer in  check-in baggage on board all its flights.

According to the domestic carrier, the decision was taken for ensuring the safety of passengers


"In the interest of safety and as mandated by the DGCA, Jet Airways will not permit carriage of power banks from any manufacturer to be carried in guests’ check-in baggage on board all its flights. However, guests may carry these charging devices in their cabin bags," said Jet Airways in a statement.
To Read the News in Full 23/12/16 Business Standard

Spicejet to operate new flight to Hyderabad

Mangaluru: A new daily flight service to Hyderabad from the city is being launched by Spicejet from Saturday December 24.

The flight will take off at 1 pm from Hyderabad and land at the city airport at 2.30 pm. On its return journey, it will take off at 2.50 pm and land at Hyderabad airport at 4.30 pm.

A release from the company said that this flight will be operated through an 80-seater Q 400 aircraft, and passengers can get their connecting flights to international destinations or to destinations like Kolkata, New Delhi, Tirupathi, Guwahati and other places from there.
To Read the News in Full 23/12/16 daijiworld

Expect Wi-Fi on Indian planes by 2019: Study

Mumbai: It's called the "connected aircraft" and essentially it means an aircraft that allows internet access so passengers can check their mails, update their profile or do whatever it is that they do on ground, while in the air. By 2019, quite a number of Indian carriers would have taken delivery of connected aircraft, said a study by a travel IT solutions provider .
One of the long-term goals for the airline industry is ensuring that passengers can have a truly connected journey from departure to arrival. "The so called 'connected aircraft' are starting to enter the global fleet and this will really pick up over the next 10-20 years as older aircraft are replaced with new generation ones," said the survey.
To Read the News in Full 23/12/16 Times of India

Uber now at 20 Indian airports, to make travel better

New Delhi: Online cab-hailing firm Uber on Friday announced that it will focus on improving the airport travel experience for both riders and driver partners in India.

"Uber is now available at all of the top 20 airports in India and at more than 200 airports globally, with presence at almost all major US and European airports," said Amit Jain, President, Uber, India and South Asia in a statement.


"Visitors from over 70 countries have used Uber in India while Indian travellers are using their Uber app most frequently in the US, followed by United Kingdom, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Malaysia," Jain added.

T2 ties up with Uber for smooth arrivals

Mumbai: Problems in finding app based cabs at the airport will soon be a thing of the past with airport operator Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) offering an exclusive space to appbased cab aggregators right outside the arrival gates, as a strategy to clear them from the roads around the airport.

“The idea is to decongest the roads outside airport. Cars coming to the airport for picking up passengers are not supposed to linger outside the departure terminals. By offering them a dedicated area, we hope to improve commuting,” said an airline official.

Vistara to turn profitable in 2020-21

Mumbai: Vistara, the full-service airline started by Tata Sons in a joint venture with Singapore Airlines incurred more losses than anticipated in 2015-16 and is likely to make profit in 2020-21 as per the minutes of Tata Sons board meeting that took place in June this year. The minutes were submitted in a petition filed by ousted chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry with the National Company Law Tribunal.

As per the minutes, Tata SIA Airlines Ltd,. which runs Vistara, missed its budgeted revenue by 10 per cent for the year 2015-16 and reported a loss of Rs.399 crore as against budgeted loss of Rs.335 crore.

Airline charges: Now, pay 'family fee' if you want to sit with your folks on a flight

Taking a cue from international airlines that charge extra if family members want to sit together onboard a flight, Indian airlines too are slowly but steadily adopting and implementing the measure as a revenue generating means.
The 'seat selection fee' or 'family fee' — as it is often called by other airlines across the globe — debuted in India this year when state-owned carrier Air India introduced the concept in May. Now, private carrier Jet Airways revised its seat selection fee recently, as reported by the Times of India.
For example, if a family of three board a flight from Mumbai to London, the extra charge of sitting together would come up to Rs 9,000 on an Air India flight. However, on a Jet Airways plane, the cost would be about Rs 4,500. Under the new rule, the middle row seats will also be charged.
If the family chooses bulkhead or exit row seats, then the surcharge will rise to Rs 10,500, according to the report.

Jet Airways launches direct daily services from Bengaluru to Singapore and Colombo

Jet Airways recently announced the launch of direct daily flights from Bengaluru to Singapore and Colombo effective from 14th December and will further expand its connectivity across the ASEAN region. Jet Airways also organized a media briefing event on their announcements at Ritz Carlton, Bangalore. The airline will also launch its third international direct daily flight from Bengaluru to Colombo from 5th January 2017.

The airline launched its service with the lamp-lighting ceremony led by S M Krishna, former Minister of External Affairs; Mohandas Pai, CEO, Manipal Global; R V Deshpande, Minister for large and medium industries, Arun Shrivastava, CMD, Syndicate Bank; Praveen Iyer, VP, Commercial (India Sales) from Jet Airways.

Air fares from Chennai touch Rs 10,000 mark for Christmas weekend

Flying for Christmas and New Year to southern cities is going to be expensive for last minute travellers as air fares from Chennai have shot up due to high demand.
One-way tickets to Coimbatore, Madurai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram for Friday touched the Rs 10,000 mark. Friday marks the beginning of the holiday weekend travel this season. Fares were hovering around Rs 2,500 for those who booked a week ago, the lucky ones may still get a few tickets on these routes for Rs4,000 to Rs7,000.

Airlines may have to bear additional tax burden of Rs 15,000 crore under GST

India’s aviation industry may have to bear an additional tax burden of up to Rs 15,000 crore annually once the Goods and Services Tax is implemented, top industry executives have told the finance ministry.
Under the current indirect tax regime, the industry has to pay only about Rs 3,600 crore every year, according to industry estimates, while its annual revenue is pegged at Rs 60,000 crore.

The additional tax burden may push airlines, most of which have turned profitable, into losses again, coming as it does at a time when global fuel prices are flaring up.

More Air India wide-body flights on Mumbai-Delhi route

Mumbai: Encouraged by the response to its wide-body operations in the Mumbai-Delhi sector, national carrier Air India is planning to operate more wide-body flights on this busy route, a senior official has said.
“We have received overwhelming response to our Boeing 747 Jumbo operation in the Mumbai-Delhi sector, and are now planning to deploy more such flights on this route. A decision will be taken shortly,” a spokesperson said.

IndiGo retains number 1 position for 11th straight month in domestic skies

New Delhi: Domestic airlines registered a 22.45 per cent growth in the number of passengers carried in November 2016 at 89.66 lakh as compared to 73.22 lakhs flown during the same period previously.

For 11 successive months in this calendar year, IndiGo retained the number one position having carried 37.73 lakh passengers from among the 89.66 lakh passengers flown by all the airlines collectively in November this year, the latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows.

SpiceJet dominates aviation with highest OTP, PLF

New Delhi: SpiceJet, the low cost carrier, continues its dominance in the aviation space by clocking the highest industry On-time performance (OTP) and Passenger load factor (PLF) for the month of November 2016 as per the statistics released by DGCA.
This is the third month in a row that the airline has topped the OTP charts. SpiceJet also registered over 90 percent PLF for 19 consecutive months.

Domestic Air Traffic Rises 22.45% to 89.66 Lakh in November

New Delhi: Continuing the growth trajectory, domestic air traffic surged 22.45 per cent to 89.66 lakh passengers in November as low fares and introduction of new routes and services in the winter schedule of the local carriers helped them fly more passengers.
All Indian airlines together had transported a total of 73.22 lakh passengers in November 2015.
However, seat factor, which is a measure of how much of an airline's passenger carrying capacity is used or average percentage of seats filled in an aircraft, in November almost remained flat compared to October 2016 primarily due to the end of tourist season, according DGCA data released on Monday.

Domestic air traffic: IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet, Air India show divergent trends in November

India's civil aviation sector remained unaffected by the currency ban announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month; the domestic air traffic business posted double-digit for yet another month. Indian carriers flew 89.66 lakh (8.96 million) passengers in November 2016, marking a growth of 22.45 percent over the corresponding month last year. IndiGo with a market share of 42.1 percent, retained its market share.
The data was published by the regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday.
It may be recalled that sectors that published volume data for November, such as automobiles, as well as broad indicators such as PMI, showed drop in business activity due to demonetisation-induced slowdown.

IGI airport to ‘retire’ first full-body scanner

New Delhi: A second body scanner is likely to be put to use at the Indira Gandhi International airport soon. The full body scanner, which is currently being used at Terminal 3 of the airport will be put away after its use on Wednesday. CISF officials said that it will be done after 10,000 passengers pass through it on Wednesday. The results will be analysed by a special committee, depending on which another similar scanner will be set up at the terminal.
Till Monday, 8,000 flyers had already passed through the scanners and the CISF, that mans the security of the airport, expects to cross 10,000 by Wednesday. "We will put the scanner away to analyse its results.

GoAir offers fares starting as low Rs 999 for limited period

Mumbai: Domestic carriers continue to woo customers with heavy discounted ticket prices, with no-frills GoAir today offering fares starting as low as Rs 999 for a limited period over its entire route network.
Under the offer, "Christmas campaign," passengers can fly across all 23 sectors operated by GoAir at all inclusive fares starting as low as Rs 999 for the travel period from January 9 to April 15, 2017, the airline said in a release.

Jet Airways becomes Delta's 30th frequent flyer partner

India’s Jet Airways has formed a new frequent flyer partnership with Delta Air Lines Inc.
Under the terms of the agreement, members of JetPrivilege are able to earn and redeem JPMiles on Atlanta-based Delta’s entire network, which covers 15,000 daily flights, according to a report on TravelDailyMedia.com. Jet and Delta operate a codeshare partnership on routes connecting India and the United States via Europe.

Demonetisation pushes airline traffic growth over 20% in November

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) unveiled on Monday that domestic airlines’ passenger traffic grew by 23.10% in November.

“Passengers carried by domestic airlines during Jan-Nov 2016 were 903.36 lakhs as against 733.82 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering a growth of 23.10%,” the report said.
Indigo registered the highest number of passengers carried of 37.73 lakh followed by Jet Airways which had 13.36 lakh passengers and Air India that had 11.57 lakh passengers in November.

Indian aviation industry ramps up IT investment

Airlines and airports in India are expected to rapidly ramp up their spend on new technology over the next three years to keep up with surging growth which will see passenger traffic double to 370 million by 2020. The growth will position India as the world’s third largest aviation market.
To meet this demand airlines and airports are investing in technology to help bridge the capacity gap and accommodate more passengers. According to SITA’s 2016 India IT Trends Benchmark study, all airlines in India expect to see IT budgets increase in 2017 compared to 2016. This contrasts markedly with global airline confidence on future IT budgets, with just over half expecting an increase while around a third will see no change in 2017.

Government convenes meeting with airlines to discuss GAGAN system

New Delhi: With the domestic airlines not showing any keenness to avail the over Rs 700-crore GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system even after nearly 18 months of its official launch, the Government would now hold discussions with all stakeholders for its mandatory enabling.
Aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has convened a consultation meeting with all stakeholders including airlines here tomorrow to discuss the issue.

SITA to Upgrade Air India’s Operations

Air India has selected SITA to transform its communications and network infrastructure.

The seven-year deal will see SITA roll out the latest communication technology both in India and internationally.

Through SITA Connect, Air India will be able to link all 93 international outstations and its six biggest airports in India to the airline’s central hubs in New Delhi and Mumbai.

In addition, the airline will be able to leverage AirportHub, SITA’s unique shared infrastructure which allows airlines to connect all their applications and IT systems at an airport quickly and easily.

Hong Kong scraps visa-free entry for Indian travelers starting from January 23, 2017

The visa-free facility enjoyed by Indian travelers who visited Hong Kong has been scrapped. Starting from January, all Indians visiting Hong Kong will have to complete a pre-arrival registration.

The Hong Kong Immigration department through its website announced that “the pre-arrival registration for Indian Nationals will be implemented on January 23, 2017.” The statement also says that the ‘Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals is currently opened.

Delay in starting international courier service at airport

Tiruchi: The delay in starting the much awaited international courier operations at the Tiruchi international airport is causing concern to shippers and other stakeholders.

Although several months have passed since the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) had approved new posts for the launch of the facility at Tiruchi airport and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) remitting the cost recovery charges to Customs, nevertheless international courier service is yet to take off.

Indian airport reports successful biometric project

Officials from Hyderabad airport have confirmed that the facility has successfully completed a pilot project on biometric identification for allowing entry into the terminal. The system links a fingerprint reader to the country’s unique ID database, called Aadhaar, which is linked to biometrics. Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra said the pilot project was held under the aegis of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). In most Indian airports, air travellers have to show their air ticket and a valid identity card to enter the facility. Aviation secretary R N Choubey has asked all airport operators, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and AAI, to study the potential of the system.
To Read the News in Full 19/12/16 Planet Biometrics

Singapore Airline to increase flight frequency

Mumbai: To meet the growing demand for travel, Singapore Airlines will increase frequency of its flights to select cities of Australia, Europe and Asia, including India, between March 26 and October 28, 2017.
In India, Ahmedabad will be served four times per week, up from the current three, with effect from March 26, the airline said in a release here today.
Elsewhere in Asia, Bangladesh capital Dhaka will be served 10 times per week with effect from July 19, up from the current seven flights a week.

Surat airport ranks third in customer satisfaction survey

Surat: The Surat airport has been ranked third in the national customer satisfaction survey (CSS) in western region, carried out by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The survey was conducted for 52 airports across the country. Chandigarh airport and Raipur airport topped the list.
In the western region, Surat airport has been ranked third, where as Vadodara topped the list followed by Aurangabad, Indore, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Bhopal and Jabalpur airports.
It must be noted that after Vadodara, Surat is the second airport run by AAI where the CSS was conducted in two rounds respectively starting from January to June and June to December this year.

Operational airports to be doubled to 150: Sinha

New Delhi: The central government on Saturday said that it is trying to double the number of operational airports in the country from 75 to 150, under the ambitious regional connectivity scheme (RCS).

According to Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, under RCS christened as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik), the central government is working to expand the aviation map of India from 75 to 150 airports.

The minister elaborated that recently Kanpur and Bhatinda airports became operational under the scheme.

Sinha was addressing the 89th Annual General Meeting of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci).
To Read the News in Full 17/12/16 Indileak

Aviation sector on upswing, says Ashok Gajapathi Raju

Bambolim: Emphasising that the domestic aviation sector is on the “upswing”, Union Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Saturday said there has been an exceptional growth in recent years, but lack of timely capacity expansion at airports remains a cause of concern. Air connectivity can be an enabler for the country to move to a higher growth trajectory, the civil aviation minister said. “Indian aviation industry is on the upswing and today stands at an inflection point in its chequered history. We have recorded an exceptional growth in the past two years,” he said at an event in Bambolim, Goa.

Domestic air passenger growth has been more than 20 per cent for nearly two years while local carriers are also embarking on significant fleet expansion plans. Striking a note of caution, the minister said (lack of) timely capacity expansion at airports at big cities and metros remains a cause of concern.

Indian Flights May Soon Have In-Flight Wi-Fi!

In-flight Wi-Fi might be a reality soon in Indian flight carriers, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju has said.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday at the Dabolim International Airport, the minister also said that the current aviation laws need to be amended by the Parliament to enable Wi-Fi access during flights.
Raju also said his ministry was weighing in the pros and cons of enabling Wi-Fi in aeroplanes.
To Read the News in Full 18/12/16 India Times

More flights to take off from Lohegaon airport by January

The city's air connectivity is set for a major fillip with more flights being added on popular routes.
On Sunday, AirAsia started its second flight from Bengaluru to Pune and back. With this, the total number of daily flights on the route has increased to 14. "The new AirAsia flight from Bengaluru to Pune and back will operate on new slots approved by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Indian Air Force (IAF). It will leave from Pune for Bengaluru (I5-1458) at 17.45 hours. From Bengaluru (I5-1321), it will depart for Pune daily at 15.45 hours," Ajay Kumar, director of Lohegaon Airport, told TOI.

Initial Bids For Navi Mumbai Airport To Be Opened In January

After much delay, the initial bids for development of the Navi Mumbai international airport are likely to be opened early next month, with leading players, including GMR and GVK expected to be in the fray.
The Navi Mumbai airport, which is expected to help in easing congestion at the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, is to be developed through a public private partnership.
City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd. proposed the development of the airport.

AirAsia India Sells Tickets From Rs. 917 In New Year Sale

Budget carrier AirAsia India is selling all-inclusive tickets from Rs. 917 under its New Year Sale offer. AirAsia India's offer is open till January 1, 2017, and is applicable on travel between March 1, 2017, and October 31, 2017.

AirAsia India's Rs. 917 fare is applicable on Bengaluru-Kochi, Bengaluru-Goa and Bengaluru-Hyderabad routes. The fares on New Delhi-Goa and New Delhi-Bengaluru routes start from Rs. 2,917 and Rs. 2,217, for example.

AirAsia India currently flies to 11 destinations with its two hubs in Bengaluru and New Delhi, covering Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Pune, Goa, Vizag, Kochi and Hyderabad. 

'New biz models can improve efficiency in aviation sector'

New business and process models will help the aviation sector in optimising cost and improving efficiency, says a report.

Titled 'Impact of ICT on Indian Aviation', the report said digital solutions could also revolutionise the way talent is skilled and groomed to enter the sector.

The country's aviation sector is on the cusp of aggressive growth and technology disruption, it said.

Prepared by leading consultancy KPMG and technology solutions provider for the airlines industry SITA, the report emphasised that key to success for airports and airlines would be to create a carefully crafted digital strategy and road map.
To Read the News in Full 18/12/16 PTI/Z Business

KQ gets big lift from increased India flights deal

National carrier Kenya Airways has received a big boost from the signing of an agreement that gives it the right to introduce seven more weekly flights to India, one of Kenya’s strongest trade partners.

A communiqué from India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation indicates that the two countries recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) allowing carriers from both countries to get into more codeshare agreements.

India is one of Kenya’s biggest trade partners with imports from the Asian country valued at Sh253 billion last year. “As per the mandate given India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, a MoU was signed, whereby seven additional frequencies were allowed to both sides,” the communiqué stated.

Forget ID cards, use Aadhaar number to fly

You may soon not have to worry about carrying physical identity documents at metro airports as a plan for biometric authentication of flyers is all set to take off.

After the successful pilot run for Aadhaar-based airport entry authentication for passengers at the Hyderabad airport, the Mumbai and Bengaluru airports are planning to take up similar pilot projects.

Hyderabad pilot project

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad started a pilot project last year allowing passengers to enter their Aadhaar number at kiosks set up at one of the entry gates. The authorities now plan to implement the exercise at all entry gates.

Airports to now be ranked in India based on services, those with poor facilities will be named and shamed

New Delhi: Gone are the days when you had to compromise with poor service and pathetic hygiene of an airport. Now if new rules come into play, not only will the repeat offenders be publicly named and shamed, but will also be penalised.
If Airport regulator AERA or Airport Economic Regulatory Authority of India is to be believed, it has taken a decision to rate airports based on services. Airports will be incentivised or penalised based on their services.
And the rankings will be made public.

Airlines want direct line to passengers

Domestic airlines have approached the Centre to enable them to communicate directly with passengers in case of rescheduling of flights, especially during the fog season, citing difficulties in informing those who book their tickets through travel agents about flight delays and other critical information.

“Every morning, we wake up to fog in Delhi and I see irate customers on the social media asking us why they weren’t informed about the flight delay,” Vistara chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor said at the inaugural of the two-day India Aviation ICT Forum 2016, organised by global air transport IT provider SITA here.

Now, fly to Bangkok from Lucknow

Lucknow: Flyers from Lucknow planning to visit Bangkok may not need to go to Delhi or Kolkata to catch a flight.
On Friday, a private carrier began a direct flight connecting the state capital with Bangkok, the international tourist destination in the south-east Asia.
The flight will operate three days a week -Wednesday , Friday and Sunday . It will take off from Lucknow at 1.20am to reach Bangkok at 6.25am. The return flight will take off from Bangkok at 10pm to reach Lucknow around 12.30am.

Delhi airport is the busiest in the world for Airbus A320 flights

Mumbai: Delhi airport is in headlines because of fog and flight delays but there is some cheerful news too.

Delhi airport sees the highest number of Airbus A320 flights in the world, according to a report by aviation website anna.aero.

The website, which tracks airline network planning, analysed aircraft type wise departures for the first week of August. The report was released earlier in the week.
While Dubai airport has the highest number of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 flights, Delhi tops the list for A320 movements.

Airlines yet to integrate cyber security with business plans

Indian airlines are yet to integrate cyber security into their business plan even as the majority of the carriers see the issue as a board level priority, according to an industry report.
However, cyber security is an area earmarked for major IT investment by every Indian airline, the 2016 India IT Trends Benchmark report released by SITA said in Bambolim.
Geneva-based SITA, a leading player in air transport solutions and information technology, also said there has been some progress made in terms of developing cyber security plans in the past three years.

Six airports to do away with stamping of baggage

The union government on Thursday initiated a trial run for 'non-stamping' of passengers' baggage tag at the time of boarding the aircraft at six airports.

According to Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju the trial run at six major airports will facilitate hassle-free movement of passengers with hand baggage.

"This is a very progressive step and will facilitate hassle-free movement of the passengers. This will also bring down the traversal time at the airports," the minister was quoted as saying in a statement.

More international connectivity is need of the hour

Traders and industrialists have for long been demanding more international flights from Madurai. At present, Dubai and Sri Lanka are the only two foreign countries connected directly by Madurai airport. Although many foreign operators are willing to launch flights from the city airport, especially in the backdrop of international cargo facility, they could not do so in the absence of a bilateral treaty. The traders want the ministry of civil aviation to take steps to ensure more flights connecting various international destinations.

New Year set back; Kingfisher, Jet to hike price

Flying within India will become costlier from the New Year with two major airlines, Kingfisher and Jet Airways, hiking fuel surcharge by up to Rs 200 per ticket with immediate effect.
As global crude prices touched $90 a barrel, state-owned oil firms hiked jet fuel prices from midnight tonight by almost 2 percent, the sixth straight increase in rates since Oct 2010.
The two airlines on Jan 1 increased their fuel surcharge by Rs 100 for travel up to 750 km and Rs 200 for flights covering a distance of over 750 km.
Kingfisher spokesperson informed that the increase in fuel surcharge was necessitated due to the recent hikes in the jet fuel prices.
To Read the News in Full 17/12/16 PTI/oneindia

Jet Airways names Bangalore as future hub

Jet Airways(9W, Mumbai Int'l) has named Bangalore Int'l as a future hub, with two new international routes launching from the southern Indian city in the next two weeks.

Vice-president (commercial) Praveen Iyer confirmed that Bangalore was an increasing focus. “Given the rising importance of the city, we intend to make it our third domestic hub in the near future," he said.

The LCC launched its Bangalore - Singapore Changi route this week on a B737-800. The route is currently served by Tiger Airways (TR, Singapore Changi) and Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi), which offer daily redeye flights, and SilkAir (MI, Singapore Changi) which operates a 5x weekly morning run.

Airlines from Sri Lanka allowed unlimited flights to metros

Airlines from Sri Lanka will be allowed to operate unlimited flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Sri Lanka is among the six countries with which “major issues were resolved” under the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) at the recently concluded International Civil Aviation Negotiations, an official statement issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation said. The NCAP calls for India to look at having “open skies” agreements with various countries.

Aviation ministry likely to introduce biometric screening at airports

Your thumb could soon be all the documentation required to enter an airport. And once the government is able to achieve this the second phase could see you flashing your thumb to board the aircraft, at least for domestic flights.
While it may sound as science fiction, the aviation ministry has already started work on the first part and Hyderabad airport has successfully completed a pilot project on using biometric identification for allowing entry into the terminal there.
"Over a billion (100 crore) Aadhar cards have been issued so far. At the time of issuing these cards, biometrics, fingerprints and iris scans, are taken and fed into a national digital registry. Presently, air travellers have to show their air ticket and a valid identity card to enter airports.
To Read the News in Full 17/12/16 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India