Indigo to launch flight services from Surat in next couple of months

Surat: After budget carrier AirAsia India, Indigo is all set to launch its flight services from the Diamond City in the next couple of months.
The private airline has submitted an application to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for space allotment at Surat airport to carry out operations. Also, the airline is believed to have started recruitment of ground staff for handling flight operations at the airport.

Sources said senior airline officials have visited the Diamond City on three occasions and that they seem to have finalized their plan to connect Surat with other sectors. The airline plans to connect Surat with Jaipur, Amritsar, Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad and other destinations.

Now book cheap Jet Airways, Air India, SpiceJet tickets from IRCTC, here's what you should know

Mumbai: After making things easier for train passengers by introducing more flexible options on multiple platforms , the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC) has also decided to strengthen it's foothold in the aviation sector by giving best fares in major airlines like Jet Airways, Air India and Air Vistara. Now, through IRCTC, one can book air tickets at the lowest convenience charge of Rs 59, and one can book tickets through mobile apps as well.
On Friday, IRCTC through its Twitter account said, “Get the #best #deals on #flight #tickets when you #travel both within #India and #Abroad! Take your family in full-fledged comfort via the #IRCTCAir app, available for both #iOS & #Android!.”
So, in case if you plan to book an air ticket, here are some few facts you should remember.

Jet Airways (9W), Air India (AI) and Air Vistara (UK) are offered as full service airlines. They offer full services including free in-flight meals.

Navi Mumbai Airport won’t be completed by 2019

There are chances that the under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport might not be ready by December 2019 as the civil aviation ministry on Thursday said that it will be tough to meet the deadline.

Civil aviation secretary RN Choubey said, “It will be difficult to have the airport ready by 2019, but we’ll try to make it happen.” Chobey was speaking on the sidelines of the US-India aviation summit.

Noida International Airport project to be completed by 2022

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Tuesday gave in-principle approval to the Uttar Pradesh government to build Noida International Airport at Jewar, a town situated about 100 kms away from New Delhi. This will be the second airport in the Delhi NCR region that will be expected to give relief to the existing airport in Delhi which is bursting at the seams.

The bidding process is likely to start in the first week of July, says Arun Vir Singh, CEO of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), the nodal agency for the airport project. "We haven't prepared the bidding document as yet. It is still at the discussion stage. The EoI (expression of interest) document will be floated in the first week of July," he says. The think tank NITI Aayog had prepared a model bid document, and the YEIDA will do tweaking to that document over the next two months.

Indore airport to have ‘Drishti’ system

Indore: Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport will soon have an Aviation Weather Observing System (AWOS) or Meteorological Park for smooth flight operations especially during bad weather conditions.
The Met park will be equipped with a Runway Visibility Range (RVR) equipment which will help flights land even in zero visibility.
Airport director Aryama Sanyal said that RVR, which is also called ‘Drishti’ system, includes a set of visibility sensors and communication device, and it is capable of detecting accurate visibility range to help pilot in safe landing and take-off.

Flights from Mumbai among the most expensive in India

Mumbai: The city has become India’s most expensive to board a flight from. Unlike the country’s other cities, there are hardly any flights out of Mumbai on which last-minute fares aren’t high. If you live in Bengaluru, Rs 2,500 will buy you a one-way air ticket to Goa this weekend. If you’re in Delhi, you could fly to Kolkata for Rs 4,000 or Dehradun for Rs 5,000 on a non-stop flight.

In Chennai, you will get the best international deals as Rs 10,000 would put you on a flight to Singapore, while Rs 15,000 will buy you a ticket to Dubai. If Chennai’s residents believe that the fares are high, they can take solace in that the cheapest fare from Mumbai to Dubai is Rs 20,000, while to Singapore is Rs 30,000.

India’s airports infrastructure set for a big leap! 7 developments that will cheer passengers

Big boost for airports infrastructure! India is a rapidly growing economy, with infrastructure expansion across sectors a key focus area. Be it roadways, railways or aviation, infrastructure forms the backbone of a developing country. As Indian airports continue to rank among the world’s best, the good news is that more and more world-class airports are coming up to meet the growing demand for air travel and also enable regional connectivity through Modi government’s UDAN scheme. The aviation sector of the country set for some massive developments. Many crucial airports across the country will soon undergo a major expansion. Apart from expansion and development of the existing airports, soon new international airports will come up, which will sport world-class features. Interestingly, earlier this year, two international airports of the nation- New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport became the world’s best, beating many international airports of South Korea, China, Singapore etc.

Ukraine International Airlines initiates Indian delight

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) introduced the Indian capital of Delhi (DEL) to its network on 1 May, inaugurating a three times weekly service from Kiev Boryspil (KBP). The European carrier will connect the two capital cities using its fleet of 767-300s, with the 4,545-kilometre route presently not flown by another airline. Along with Delhi, UIA also serves the Asian cities of Almaty, Astana, Bangkok, Beijing and Colombo. The carrier also serves multiple destinations in the Middle East. See how Delhi Airport’s FTWA compares to others from around the world.
To Read the News in Full 08/05/18 anna.aero

IndiGo seeks government approval for long-haul routes

Budget carrier IndiGo has sought the government’s clearance to commence operations on long-haul routes to destinations such as Birmingham, London, Milan, and Paris in the next few years.

“The company has been eyeing international network expansion for quite some time and has asked for approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” said a senior IndiGo official on the condition of anonymity.

IndiGo’s promoter Rakesh Gangwal had said last July that the airline was aiming to launch long-haul operations soon. “Our internal work shows that IndiGo is a natural player to take advantage of the significant and lucrative international market opportunity that India offers,” he had said.

PM Modi may inaugurate Pakyong airport in Sikkim

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to commission the strategically important Pakyong airport in Sikkim, sources in the Civil Aviation Ministry have said.

The greenfield airport, close to the capital city of Gangtok, received the aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation last Friday for commercial operations. The formal announcement was made by Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu through his twitter feed.

"The Ministry is in talks with the PMO and hopefully the PM will inaugurate the airport given its strategic importance and significance," sources in the Ministry said, adding the dates are yet to the finalised.

Air India likely to launch Mumbai-Frankfurt flight from June

State-run carrier Air India is likely to start a direct flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt from June as it seeks to expand its operations to Europe, official sources said.

According to the official sources, the airline would operate thrice a week from the metropolis and depart for Frankfurt in the morning hours.

"We are finalising the slots, and once we are done with it we will make a formal announcement," they said.

The airline currently operates a regular flight on the Delhi-Frankfurt route.

'Foreign airlines could benefit from govt's nod to in-flight internet'

Foreign airlines could be the immediate beneficiaries of the government's recent nod to in-flight voice and data connectivity as the domestic players were not yet equipped for internet services, according to an aviation consultancy firm.

On the pricing issue, a global airline IT solution major feels the price point for domestic flights in India offering voice and data services "will need to be appropriate".

Aviation consultancy firm Centre for Asia Pacific (CAPA) said foreign carriers will be the first to offer onboard connectivity in Indian airspace as domestic carriers were not yet equipped for WiFi.

Airport bags 3rd slot on growth rate route

Pune: The Lohegaon airport has bagged the third slot among 10 facilities in the over 5 million passenger capacity category in terms of the annual growth rate in 2017-18, senior Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said here on Sunday.
The airport’s growth rate (20.6%) was third after the facilities in Kolkata and Ahmedabad. “Among the 10 airports, Pune is at the 9th place with 8.16 million passengers in 2017-18,” , Pune airport director Ajay Kumar said.
The 10 airports in the category are the ones in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Goa, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Pune.
When it comes to domestic passengers, the airport recorded a total of 7.89 million passengers in 2017-18 — a growth rate of 21.2%. “Among all the airports, Pune is the only one operating with the ‘Code C’ aircraft. All other facilities are capable of handling bigger aircraft,” Kumar added.
‘Code C’ aircraft have a wingspan of more than 24m but less than 36m. The outer main gear wheel span of such aircraft is more than 6m and less than 9m. Aircraft such as Boeing 737-700, Airbus A-320 and Embraer ERJ 190-100 fall in the ‘Code C’ category. These aircraft cannot carry more than 200 flyers.

Modern infra at airport

Bhubaneswar: The areas surrounding Biju Patnaik International Airport will see an overall development with the housing and urban development department approving the master plan submitted by the airport authorities.

According to the plan, about 54 acres of the airport area will be developed. It includes expansion and beautification projects as well. The Bhubaneswar Development Authority has also amended its comprehensive development plan for the purpose.

Several projects will be taken up in various areas located opposite the domestic terminal near the car parking area. Sources said a three-star hotel, shopping mall and a 4,000-seat convention centre would also be developed in the area.

Jet Airways: 25 years of Indian hospitality in the air

As a corporate traveller, on the road since 2004, there has been one airline I’ve flown more often than any other. That would be Jet Airways. As they complete their 25 years, it is only fitting to reflect how they came to be one of India’s top brand ambassadors abroad. After all, not every day is an airline born, much less, completes 25 years in the business.

My first interaction with the airline happened, indeed in 2004, while I was a young lad fresh out of business school, learning the ropes of frequent flying. I gave an equal opportunity to Air India and Jet Airways back then to win me as a customer, and stuck with the latter. The groundwork for my choice had been laid out by founder Chairman Naresh Goyal, a decade before.

Goyal’s first brush with an airline came right after he left college in 1967, working for his uncle, who would represent various airlines in India. Jet Air, his marketing organisation for various international airlines in India, was his coming into his own in the business when he launched in 1974.

When the government opened up the airline industry to private players, Goyal was one of the first to jump at the opportunity. Jet Airways started operating as an air taxi operator on May 5, 1993, operating their first flight, 9W321, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. They could fly but not publish a schedule for one and a half years. In 1995, Jet Airways was granted a scheduled airline status after the Air Corporations Act was abolished.