Air India sold aircraft to Etihad at 1/5th price, says ex-CAG

Former comptroller and auditor general (CAG) Vinod Rai has made more damning revelations about Air India's plight under former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's regime.

In an exclusive interview to The Times of India, Rai has said that Air India sold Boeing 777 aircraft to Etihad at one-fifth the original price, thus incurring a huge loss.

The new disclosure comes just days after he alleged in an interview to Times Now that Patel “nudged” Air India’s board to increase its order for planes from 28 to 68, causing it to sink under debts. (Read our editor R Jagannathan's piece on how Air India's decline here.)

Etihad may absorb some senior pilots from JetLite

Mumbai: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways may explore the possibility of absorbing some senior pilots from JetLite — the no-frills airline operated by its Indian partner Jet Airways — that will soon cease to exist. The move is aimed at addressing the concerns of JetLite pilots who were given the option to join Jet Airways, but at the cost of foregoing their seniority.
On September 9, a team of about 40 JetLite pilots met Jet Airways' chief executive designate Cramer Ball, chief operating officer Hameed Ali, senior vice-president for flight operations Nikhil Vaid, vice-president of human resources Samar Srivastava, and a senior Etihad Airways official at New Delhi airport’s T3 to discuss and resolve issues pertaining to the integration of JetLite’s pilots into Jet Airways’ fold. FE couldn’t immediately ascertain the name of the Etihad Airways official present at the deliberations.

Mystery plane spotted by Etihad on flight to Jakarta

Abu Dhabi: A mystery plane was spotted by the crew of an Etihad flight on September 7, resulting in its traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) alarm going off loudly in the cockpit.
The alarm on EY474 enroute from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta went buzzing at 6.45am (IST) indicating that another aircraft had come dangerously close to the Etihad flight. TCAS goes off when aircrafts breach the vertical safety distance of 1,000 feet between each other, Indian media reported.
Other commercial airlines flying over the Arabian Sea about 450 to 480 kms from Mumbai’s coastline which is under aerial surveillance by global superpowers, also reportedly had their alarms going off.

Etihad adds San Francisco flights using Jet Airways 777s

Etihad Airways will make San Francisco its sixth destination planned for the USA, saying it will launch daily nonstop service to its Abu Dhabi hub Nov. 18. And, in an unusual move, Etihad will operate the route using the aircraft of its Indian partner, Jet Airways.
Etihad's current U.S. destinations are Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, New York JFK and Washington Dulles. And, on Dec. 3, Etihad will begin nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth.
"The United States has been placed at the heart of our network development this year, with services launched to Los Angeles last month and flights commencing to Dallas in December 2014," Etihad CEO James Hogan says in a statement. "San Francisco is another strong addition and provides our first direct link to Northern California."

Etihad to expand operations in India with daily flights to Kolkata

Dubai:  Etihad Airways, UAE's flag carrier, has announced expansion of its first flight operations to northeast India with the launch of a daily service between Abu Dhabi and Kolkata.

Commencing on February 15, 2015, the new flights will bring the total number of Indian cities served by Etihad Airways to 11, with existing routes including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, New Delhi and Trivandrum.
ames Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: "India, one of the world's largest growing travel markets, has always been an important destination for Etihad Airways."

Etihad Airways Set For Next Phase Of India Growth Plan

Etihad Airways will provide travelers with even more connections between India, the UAE and other key markets around the world, following a major service upgrade to Cochin, Bangalore, Chennai, Kozhikode and Hyderabad this summer.
Due to strong demand from business and leisure travelers, a double-daily frequency will be operated to Bangalore, Chennai and Kozhikode from Tuesday, and Hyderabad from October 1. As a result, guests have the option of daytime or overnight flights, and improved connections between India and key markets in the GCC, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.
Read news in full 06/07/14 Aviation Pros

Etihad Airways set for next phase of India growth plan

Etihad Airways will provide travellers with even more connections between India, the UAE and other key markets around the world, following a major service upgrade to Cochin, Bangalore, Chennai, Kozhikode and Hyderabad this summer.

Due to strong demand from business and leisure travellers, a double-daily frequency will be operated to Bangalore, Chennai and Kozhikode from Tuesday, and Hyderabad from October 1. As a result, guests have the option of daytime or overnight flights, and improved connections between India and key markets in the GCC, Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.

Double-daily frequencies were also introduced to Cochin route last month, as well as Mumbai and New Delhi in November 2013, supporting a long-term development plan in India.

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.

Etihad Fined Rs 3 Lakh For Boarding Pass Mess

Chennai: A 68-year-old wheelchair bound woman from the city, who sufferred a harrowing detention of nearly 12 hours at the Abu Dhabi International Airport due to an error on the part of Etihad Airways, a UAE-based air carrier, was awarded a compensation of `3 lakh by the consumer forum.

The senior citizen, Arumugam Kanthimathiammal, a resident of Adyar, returning from Chicago on July 24, 2010 after visiting her son’s family, was disembarked from a connecting flight at Abu Dhabi as her name was incorrect in the boarding pass issued in Chicago.

For no fault of hers, she had to be in detention in an unknown land, with no knowledge of the local language or any friends to help and was even deprived of her medicines. The airline staff suspected to the old woman be travelling on forged identity and handed her over to the airport staff who in turn detained her in a hotel room at the airport.

Etihad Airways offers enhanced access to India

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced a major expansion of its code-share agreement with India's Jet Airways.
The new arrangement offers travellers enhanced connections throughout India, and linking India with even more destinations worldwide.
The two airlines have obtained regulatory approval to code-share on 43 additional routes, bringing the total number of services in their agreement to 71.

Etihad adds Jaipur to its India network

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier will fly daily services to Jaipur from 1 April 2014. Simultaneously, the airline has also announced the addition of daily services to Rome, Italy and four flights per week to Yerevan, Armenia. The new routes will join the previously announced daily service to Los Angeles, Zurich, Perth, Medina and three flights per week to Dallas, all of which are scheduled to commence in 2014.
Read news in full traveldailymedia

Etihad in expansion mode, to buy 5 Boeing aircraft from Air India

Mumbai: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has agreed to purchase five Boeing 777 class aircraft from Air India as part of its strategy to continue international route expansion.
The ‘Boeing 777-200 LRs-2’ would be used on the airline’s new route between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles which starts on June 1, 2014, Etihad said in a press statement.
Though both sides were tight lipped about the deal size, analysts said that Air India could get anywhere between $300 million and $350 million through the sale.
“We are looking forward to starting direct services to Los Angeles, as well as increasing our flying to South America. This is the aircraft to do that,” said James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways.
The Boeing 777-200 LR, of which less than 60 were manufactured, has a design range of 17,370 km. It would enable Etihad to connect any city in the world from Abu Dhabi, the statement said.
Read news in full 09/10/13 Business Line

Etihad Airways recruits 200 cabin crew from India

Etihad Airways has hired 200 cabin crew from India as it plans major  route expansion in partnership with Jet Airways. The Abu Dhabi based airline held a recruitment campaign which attracted more than 1,000 applications.
The drive was held  in Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi. Richard Hill, Etihad Airways’ Chief Operations Officer, said in a statement: “India will play an increasingly central part in the expansion of Etihad Airways and we are delighted that so many men and women are keen to join our ranks as members of cabin crew. Etihad has a total cabin crew strength of over 4,000 persons.
Last week Etihad announced it would double its flights to Mumbai and Delhi by the end of December. This followed the Union Cabinet approving enhanced traffic rights between India and Abu Dhabi.
Read News In Full 24/09/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

Jet-Etihad deal fiasco: What it means for Jet

Mumbai: The secrecy behind the Jet-Etihad deal and the way it was announced within moments of seat enhancement agreement signed between the two countries had the stink of controversy. And you do not need a canine’s ability to smell a controversy in this deal.