Mumbai Airport adjudged as the Second Best Airport globally in over 40 million category: ASQ survey

New Delhi: Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) was rated the Second Best Airport globally in the ‘over 40 million passengers per year’ category at the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2016 conducted by the Airports Council International (ACI), the company said in a release today.

"This recognition was conferred upon CSIA after it was appraised by the passengers themselves, in a year-long survey carried out by ACI, the trade association of the world’s airports," said the release.
To Read the News in Full 08/03/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

AAI Gets Airport Service Quality Survey Report of 17 Airports in Country

Delhi: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is getting Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey conducted through Airports Council International (ACI), a global body of airport operators at 17 airports where traffic volume is 1.5 million passengers per annum or more. The ACI-ASQ Survey are conducted at Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chennai, Coimbatore, Goa, Guwahati, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Patna, Pune, Srinagar, Trivandrum, Visakhapatnam airports. This survey is conducted on quarterly basis at these airports for departing passengers.

Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Ranked No. 1 by ACI in terms of Service and Quality

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Ranked No. 1: According to a survey report by ACI (Airports Council International), Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport stands tall at No. 1 in terms of Service and Quality it provides to all the passengers travelling in and out of the Airport. This is a great achievement by the staff and other people working in the airport to make it clean and give quality service.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport was built in 2008 and is already considered as one of the major international airports in India. It is recognised as the best and now it also climbed the chart of the best International airports in the whole world in terms of quality and service. There has been a gain in infrastructure and also the management which makes it better for the passengers in Hyderabad.

Visa-on-arrival at Calicut from April

Kozhikode: The visa-on-arrival (e-visa) facility for foreign tourists will be rolled out at Calicut International Airport from April 1.

At present the e-Visa facility, enabled by Electronic Travel Authorisation, is available at Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi airports. The facility at Calicut is aimed at giving a fillip to the sagging tourism industry in north Kerala.

“Three exclusive counters have already been set up at the arrival terminal for this purpose,” said K. Janardhanan, director of the airport.

Fly To Kullu Directly From Chandigarh From March 27

Giving us the much-needed relief from the present exams trauma, Air India has decided to start daily flight to Kullu from Chandigarh international airport from March 27 (summer schedule). Taking from from Delhi, the flight will stop at Chandigarh Airport for 40 minutes and they fly to the Bhuntar Airport (near Kullu).

This will be first flight to Kullu from Chandigarh and a one-way ticket will cost Rs 4,500. The flight time will be 45 minutes.

“Tentatively, the flight will start in morning from Delhi and will reach Chandigarh airport at 9.30am. From Kullu, it will start at 11.30am. We hope to get a good response,” said an Air India official. The final timings will be announced in a day or two, he added.
To Read the News in Full 09/03/17 Ratisha/Chandigarh

4 international flights to be rescheduled

Ahmedabad: The summer schedule of flights will be implemented with effect from March 25 and will run up to October 24 for inbound and outbound flights at the city airport. With this, the timings of four international flights will be preponed. State-run carrier, Air India has rescheduled four of its international flights to New York and London by an hour and a half.
Airline officials confirmed the information stating the changes have been made in the wake of change in time owing to daylight savings. With effect from March 25, four Air India flights AI171 and AI172 on the Ahmedabad-London-New York-London-Ahmedabad sector and AI175 and AI176 on the Ahmedabad-London-Ahmedabad sector will be changed.
To Read the News in Full 09/03/17 Times of India

SpiceJet, IndiGo Offer Vouchers From Rs. 99. Here's What You Get

Amid rising competition in the Indian skies, airlines are offering discounted schemes and vouchers to attract more flyers. SpiceJet has introduced a "value pack" scheme, under which it is offering special vouchers starting Rs. 499, which includes two flight vouchers of Rs. 600 and Rs. 199, and a hotel voucher worth Rs. 1,000, among other benefits. SpiceJet, which competes with the likes of Air India, IndiGo, GoAir, Jet Airways and AirAsia India in the domestic market, is also offering flight vouchers of Rs. 1,100 and Rs. 199 as part of another value pack, priced at Rs. 999. "Now pay just Rs. 499/Rs. 999 and get SpiceJet Vouchers worth Rs. 1,999/Rs. 3,999," the airline said on its website.

Other benefits in SpiceJet's Rs. 499 value pack include an "add-on service voucher" worth Rs. 100.
Attractive discounts and schemes from various airlines have spurred strong growth in air travel market in India.

International Women’s Day 2017: Vistara & Jet Airways follow Air India’s footsteps, plan to operate all women crew flights!

Air India carried the world’s first passenger journey with an all-women crew on a to and fro flight between New Delhi and San Fransisco. Air India’s competitors like Jet Airways and Vistara Airlines have decided to join this bandwagon ahead of International Women’s Day. Vistara Airlines has announced its plan to launch their very own all-women crew flights, while Jet Airways plan on operating an all-women crew focused on four main sectors. Vistara Airlines has launched this all-women crew flight with loads of new features to attract female travelers who enjoy solo trips. Jet Airways has also launched some attractive discounts for women travelers for Women’s Day 2017 celebrations. Air India operates all-women crew flight ahead of International Women’s Day!

IndiGo, GoAir to expand in Gulf

Unfazed by the slowdown in West Asia, Indian carriers are expanding their network in the region.

IndiGo is launching flights to Sharjah later this month and plans to launch a service to Doha its seventh international destination in April. GoAir is likely to begin its international operations with flights from Kochi to Doha and Dammam in the second half of the year.

Around 22 million passengers travelled between India and countries in the West Asia accounting for nearly 40 per cent of all international air traffic from India in 2016. This does not include passengers who travelled onward to other destinations from hubs such as Dubai or Doha. This makes the region an attractive bet for Indian airlines.

Andhra Pradesh, India considers launching own airline

The state of Andhra Pradesh in India's southeast has signalled its intention to develop an international airline for its new capital city Amaravati, which is currently under construction. PTI news reports that the new airline is likely to be named after the city - Amaravathi Airlines.

An act of the Indian Parliament bifurcated the state in 2014 to create two separate states: Telangana in the northwest, and the residuary Andhra Pradesh in the southeast.

GoAir preparing for IPO 'at the right time': CEO

As investors turn positive on the aviation sector, Budget airline GoAir is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO), says Livemint in a report . The company’s CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said that the airline has not put the idea on backburner. Rather, it is waiting for the right time. The industry is also getting more investor interest now after Warren Buffett’s positive comment on the sector. Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway recently invested USD 9.3 billion in top four US airlines.

Why India needs low-cost airlines

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. A report published by IATA (International Air Transport Association) has thrown light on the immense potential of the growing Indian aviation sector.

Indian aviation industry is likely to rule the roost by the end of 2026, by adding more than 300 million fliers into the fold, said the report.

The surging popularity of the online travel portals will propel the market outreach of the low-cost carriers, a phenomenon supported by the fact finding done by a travel market research agency, which in its report published that more than 35% of Indians preferred to book online tickets in 2015.

Women should start airline ventures, says Aviation Secretary

New Delhi: Women entrepreneurs will get “single window clearance” and other benefits to start an airline under the regional air connectivity scheme, a top official said. The remarks were made by Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey in a video message at an event in New Delhi to celebrate International Women’s Day on Wednesday.

“Regional Connectivity Scheme is an opportunity whereby women can set up a brand new airline… I assure that women will get special treatment. We will give them single window clearance,” he said.
Women should come forward to start aviation companies, Choubey said in the video message recorded for the non-profit group Women in Aviation International (WAI).

Delhi cuts tax on aviation fuel to boost travel to smaller cities

New Delhi: The Delhi government has reduced the tax on aviation fuel to 1 percent from 25 percent for flights operating to smaller towns and cities, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, in a move to reduce costs for airlines flying to remote areas from the Indian capital.
The tax reduction is only for airlines operating under the federal government's regional connectivity scheme, introduced last year to make flying more affordable, Sisodia said on Wednesday while presenting Delhi's annual budget.
India is the world's fastest-growing aviation market but most of the air travel is between big cities.

Qatar Airways plans first fully foreign-owned airline in India

New Delhi: India may soon get its first fully-foreign owned airline after the Modi government allowed 100% FDI in the sector last June. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said in Berlin Wednesday that he plans to start an airline in India with the investment arm of Qatar government.
A Qatar Airways spokesperson quoted the CEO saying that since India now allows 100% FDI, he plans to do so with Qatar Investment Authority. Baker also said that he will be making an application to launch a domestic airline in India soon.
Qatar Airways has for many years been eyeing a stake in IndiGo but the Indian budget carrier has not done so.