Hyderabad intl airport on social media

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has started windows on social media. It is now accessible on Facebook along with Twitter and YouTube.
“Passengers and other stakeholders will now get updated information on new services. Passengers can now remain connected and have access at all time to information on special offerings, retail options and duty free shopping at the airport,” a press release said here on Sunday, quoting S G K Kishore, Chief Executive Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited.

Air India evaluating leasing fuel-efficient airplanes

New Delhi: Aiming at taking growing competition head-on, Air India is evaluating leasing fuel- efficient airplanes like Airbus A-320 neos for itself and Boeing 737 Max for its subsidiary Air India Express over the next three to six years.

While the national carrier would be getting its 18th Boeing 787 Dreamliners in December, it has already started exploring options to lease A-320 neos (New Engine Option) aircraft into its fleet after 2017.

Discontent over salary and designations causing cockpit fights

New Delhi: Those driving on Indian streets often fly into a road rage but these days, incidents of pilots getting into fights in the cockpit have become a reason for growing concern. The reason is rivalry, say sources, especially among pilots of airlines like Air India and Indian Airlines and Jet Airways and JetLite, both of whom are in the midst of a merger. Most of the tussles are over seniority levels and salary, with pilots filing anonymous complaints against one another. These complaints have been made both to the DGCA and internally .

APAI questions 'non-existent' low fares offered by airlines

Mumbai: Apex air travellers body, Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) today questioned the frequent "special fare" offers by domestic carriers and termed them as "non-existent", even as it urged the DGCA not to allow such schemes.

The association, in a communication to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, also sought to know as to what action the regulator intends to take against the carriers on the issue.

SIA-Airbus JV gets Competition Commission's approval

New Delhi: Singapore Airlines' proposed joint venture with Airbus Services Asia Pacific to provide flight pilot training services, has received green signal from fair trade watchdog CCI.

The proposed combination involves formation of a joint venture company, Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC), to provide flight pilot training services.

In AATC, Airbus Services Asia, part of French major Airbus, would have 55 per cent stake while 45 per cent would be with Singapore Airlines.

Gulf Air restarts Hyderabad route

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, announced that it will be recommencing flights to Hyderabad, the fourth most populous city in India, with 5 weekly flights, starting from 15 December 2014.

Mumbai-Nashik seaplane runs into rough weather

Mumbai: A plan to connect Mumbai with Nashik by seaplane has run into rough weather. The proposed landing site at Gangapur Dam, near Nashik, has been opposed by activists and NGOs, who say the activity will affect thousands of migratory and residents birds.
Based on two separate complaints - by Bombay Natural History Society and by Bishwarup Raha, honorary wildlife warden, Nashik District - the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is taking a relook at flight operations to Gangapur.

Airlines' losses soar on high fuel costs in FY14

New Delhi: For the year ended March this year, India’s top five domestic airlines reported combined losses of Rs 9,737 crore, an increase of 85 per cent compared with Rs 5,276 crore in the previous year.

But for IndiGo and GoAir’s combined net profit of Rs 323 crore, the losses would have stood at Rs 10,060 crore.

More than half the overall losses were accounted for by those reported by Air India. The state-owned airline’s net loss declined to Rs 5,388 crore in FY14 from Rs 5,490 crore the previous financial year. While Jet Airways’ net loss rose about sevenfold to Rs 3,668 crore, SpiceJet’s increased about four times to Rs 1,003 crore.

‘Goa will get just 500 charters from Russia’

Panaji: Pegas Touristik, a major tour operator in Russia, has told TOI that Goa can expect just 500 charters from Russia this season. Of the total 1,128 charter flights that landed in Goa last season, 895 were from Russia alone.
Abdullah Cankaya, director, Asia-Pacific Countries, Pegas Touristik, explained that while the weakening Rouble coupled with tour operators in Russia shutting shop is one factor, Egypt is another. Last season, Goa gained from the Afro-Asiatic country's hospitality industry lying in tatters following the uprisings there. "With Egypt returning to normalcy, Goa will have to compete hard," warned Cankaya.

Jet Airways' chief operating officer Subodh Karnik resigns

Jet Airways chief operating officer (designate) Subodh Karnik is learnt to have quit the airline. This is the eighth top-level exit in the airline in recent months.

Confirming the development, a Jet Airways spokesperson said: “Subodh Karnik, chief operating officer (designate), will be leaving  Jet Airways for family reasons and is returning to Atlanta to be closer to his wife and children who were unable to move to India. He will continue to work with Jet Airways in an advisory capacity on key strategic initiatives.”

Bangalore's engineer AK Vishwanath plans to launch flying car

Bangalore: As overseas automakers AeroMobil and Terrafugia prepare to launch their flying cars, a 56-year-old engineer in Bangalore is attempting to rewrite the science for the next generation of such vehicles.

The Wright brothers were able to recreate a bird's flight, without requiring their plane to flap its wings -something that Terrafugia and AeroMobil have followed.AK Vishwanath is trying to replicate this, using the insect paradigm.

New Indian Proposal Threatens Charter Operators

Indian lawmakers are considering a proposal by the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that would revoke the commercial licenses of nonscheduled operator permit (NSOP) holders with fewer than three aircraft available for charter. Affected NSOPs that do not augment their fleet to at least three aircraft within one year will have to operate in the private category, depriving them of permission to offer charters. India’s Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) sees the proposal as “a kneejerk reaction” to the DGCA’s shortage of flight observation inspectors (FOIs) and its difficulties in recruiting more of them. The process of registering private aircraft owners as NSOPs requires the services of an FOI. This scarcity of FOIs is also hindering India’s compliance with an FAA requirement that would help restore the country’s safety ranking to Category 1.

Fly Etihad, get an on-air Jeeves at your service!

Cabin crew retrained as butlers at London's prestigious Savoy Hotel will wear tailcoats and white cotton gloves for their new role pampering some of the world's wealthiest flyers on Etihad Airways PJSC's superjumbo aircraft. Thirteen flying butlers have completed a three-week course on etiquette, protocol, valet skills and concierge services and are ready to attend passengers in what will be the airline industry's swankiest cabin, costing Rs 12.25 lakh-a-trip.

Etihad is introducing the luxury product on its first A380 double-deckers as the third-biggest Gulf carrier vies for top-paying travellers with Emirates, the No. 1 operator of the Airbus Group plane, Qatar Airways and global rivals including Singapore Airlines Ltd.

Amazon India, Jet Airways tie up with payment gateway RuPay

After Flipkart, home-grown payments gateway RuPay has tied up with Amazon and one of the largest carriers Jet Airways. With this, the RuPay debit card holders can now shop best deals on Amazon and book air tickets on Jet Airways, the Reserve Bank-promoted National Payment Corporation which issues the RuPay cards said in a statement today.

"Acceptance on Amazon is a breakthrough for us. We are glad to offer a wider horizon to our cardholders to transact online. Also, our integration with Jet Airways will definitely benefit our cardholders,," says NPCI managing director AP Hota said. Commenting on the tie-up, Amazon India general manager for payments Srinivas Rao said, the arrangement is in line with its strategy of offering the widest set of customers a variety of payment options that will enhance their shopping experience.

Civil aviation ministry mulls to use Swachh Bharat Abhiyan for cleaner airports

New Delhi: Smelly airport bathrooms could soon be a thing of the past. The civil aviation ministry is planning to use the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2 to ensure a future in which people don't have to hold their noses while using the facilities at airports.