Page 4 - Air India

Two men plead guilty to murder of Air India bombing suspect Ripudaman Malik

Two men accused of killing Ripudaman Singh Malik, a Sikh man acquitted in the tragic 1985 Air India Kanishka terrorist bombing case, have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Canadian court, according to media reports. Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez entered the pleas in the British Columbia (BC) Supreme Court on Monday on the eve of their trial for the killing of 75-year-old Malik, who was shot several times outside his family business on the morning of July 14, 2022. Malik was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia in 2022. He and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to the two bombings in 1985 that killed 331 people. In the court in New Westminster on Monday, both Fox and Lopez pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder, the Global News reported. The court heard an agreed statement of facts that revealed the two men had been hired to kill Malik, the report added. "What we know from the agreed statemen

US, Europe airlines approach Air India for developing their Gen AI chatbots

Major US and European airlines have approached Air India for developing generative AI chatbots similar to that of the Indian carrier's AI.g, which currently handles around 97 per cent of customer queries it receives without the help of contact centre agents. Besides, the Tata Group-owned Air India has filed for its first patent which is for the upcoming feature 'one click booking' of tickets on its website and mobile app. Air India's Chief Digital & Technology Officer Satya Ramaswamy on Tuesday said a lot of innovations are being done so that AI.g stands apart. "We are sharing the knowledge (about the chatbot) also but nobody has been able to come up with something like this yet," he said. At a select media briefing, Ramaswamy also said some US and European airlines have contacted Air India for help on building generative AI chatbots. "It is about thought leadership... we will help them with development," he said. Without naming the airlines that have approached it, he mentioned

Sikh separatist Pannun issues new terror threat, warns Air India flyers

This latest threat from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun citing Sikh genocide anniversary comes amidst a series of bomb threat hoaxes affecting multiple airlines in India

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Bomb threats hit Indian flights hard: The real cost of these hoax calls

These false bomb threats have caused significant financial losses for airlines, estimated in crores

Vistara in-flight experience will continue post-merger: Air India

Air India on Friday said Vistara routes and schedule as well as the in-flight experience will continue and the flights operated with Vistara planes will have the code 'AI2' post-merger. The merger of the two full service carriers is scheduled to be completed on November 12, following which Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines. Post the merger, the vintage 'Maharaja' will be retained through the frequent flyer programme of the integrated entity. "The existing members of Club Vistara will be seamlessly transferred to Air India's Flying Returns program. With this merger, Flying Returns will also evolve into an all-new avatar 'Maharaja Club'," Air India said in the statement. Reiterating that the experience offered by Vistara will continue for customers post-merger, Air India said Vistara will be identified by a special four-digit Air India code beginning with the digit '2'. "For instance

Merged entity will share best practices of Vistara, Air India: Bhaskar Bhat

The merger of Vistara and Air India will create an integrated entity that will share the best practices of the two airlines and the livery of Vistara will stay for sometime, a senior official said on Wednesday. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, is set to merge with Air India on November 11 as part of the Tatas consolidating their airline business. Air India Express completed the merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself this month. While emphasising the importance of empowering frontline staff, Vistara Chairman Bhaskar Bhat said it will be ensured that passengers keep getting better and better services from the merged entity. "The merged entity will be one integrated entity. How does it translate... through SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). It will become a single SOP as it becomes one brand... (there will be) sharing of best practices," he said. Stressing on the idea of driving differentiation across areas, Bhat said that ...

Delhi Police registers FIR, begins probe in 7 hoax threats to flights

The Delhi Police has registered an FIR in connection with bomb threats to several domestic and international flights in the last two days and launched a probe into the matter, official sources said on Wednesday. A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight with more than 180 people on board returned to the national capital on Wednesday afternoon following a bomb threat. Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Usha Rangnani said, "Airport police has responded to seven incidents involving reported bomb threats this month. After thorough verifications and inspection, all threats were confirmed to be hoaxes." "Legal action has been initiated against those responsible for these false alarms to ensure strict measures against misuse and to maintain the safety and security of passengers and airport operations," she said. According to sources, an FIR has been registered at the IGI Airport Police Station as different flights received threats through a social media handle in the last two days. Police have

Plane carrying stranded AI passengers from Iqaluit airport lands in US

The Canadian Air Force aircraft is ferrying 191 stranded passengers of an Air India flight from Iqaluit airport has landed in Chicago. In a statement on Wednesday, Air India said passengers of flight AI127, which was diverted to Iqaluit in Canada on October 15, are on their way to their destination -- Chicago. "Passengers are being ferried on a Canadian Air Force aircraft that has taken off from Iqaluit at 03:54 hrs UTC and is expected to land in Chicago at around 07:48 hrs UTC," the airline said. An official said the aircraft has landed at Chicago. The flight that was diverted on Tuesday had 211 people, including 20 crew members, onboard. Passengers have gone in the Canadian Air Force aircraft with their hand baggage. Their checked-in baggage will be carried in the Air India aircraft when it leaves for Chicago, the official in the know said. Earlier, Canada's Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan said that 211 people of the flight were stranded and despite great effor

10 Indian flights receive bomb threats in 48 hours; security tightened

Singapore scrambled two Singapore Air Force F-15 jets to escort Air India Express flight IX684. The flight landed safely at Changi Airport at 10:04 pm on Tuesday

Hoax threats to flights: Mumbai cops summon minor, father from Chhattisgarh

The Mumbai police have issued a notice to a teenage boy, his father and another person from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh to join questioning in connection with bomb threats posted on social media targeting three flights, officials said. Three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats on Monday. While a New York-bound Air India flight was diverted to New Delhi and rescheduled, the other two to Muscat and Jeddah, both operated by IndiGo, were delayed by several hours as the planes were moved to isolation bays for security checks. Nothing suspicious was found on any of the planes, police officials had said. The bomb threat was received through a post on the micro-blogging platform X and the handle is being verified, an official said. "On Monday, a bomb threat was posted on X for an Air India's Mumbai-New York flight and IndiGo's Mumbai to Muscat and Mumbai to Jeddah flights," Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg said. After receiving information a

US condemns threats to commercial aviation amid air India flight incidents

The United States on Tuesday said any kind of threats against commercial aviation are inappropriate as several Air India flights, including those headed to Chicago and New York, received threat of a bomb in the planes. The New Delhi-Chicago flight made an emergency landing at Iqaluit Airport in Canada, Mumbai-New York flight landed in New Delhi while fighter jets were deployed for the plane headed towards Singapore. For the past several months, a group of American and Canadian citizens, primarily from separatist Sikh groups, have been openly calling for blowing up Air India flights. Any kind of threats against commercial aviation are inappropriate and matters that are dealt with extremely seriously by our own law enforcement agencies. I would refer to those law enforcement agencies to speak about I think it's a matter for law enforcement agencies, predominantly the Department of Justice, to speak to as, a first instance, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at

Air India's Delhi-Chicago flight diverted to Canada after bomb threat

"Flight AI127 operating from Delhi to Chicago on October 15, 2024, was the subject of a security threat posted online and, as a precautionary measure, has landed at Iqaluit Airport in Canada

Bomb threat delays Air India Express flight from Ayodhya to Bengaluru

An Air India Express plane made an emergency landing in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya airport on Tuesday following a bomb threat on the aircraft, a senior officer said here. The plane had taken off from Jaipur, airport Director Vinod Kumar told PTI, confirming the emergency landing. Commercial flight operations at the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhya Dham were launched earlier this year.

Tatas set to expand Air India Express fleet with Air India, Vistara planes

Air India Express will receive 17 Airbus A320 Neo planes from Air India and 10 from Vistara after their merger, with the transfer expected to be completed by mid-2025

2 IndiGo flights delayed, 1 Air India flight diverted due to bomb hoaxes

IndiGo flight 6E 57 was scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Jeddah

Air India Mumbai-New York flight diverted to Delhi after bomb threat

A New York-bound Air India plane carrying 239 passengers from Mumbai was diverted to the national capital early morning on Monday due to a bomb threat, according to officials. Police said following standard security protocols, a thorough inspection was conducted and no suspicious item was found inside the aircraft. "Flight AI 119 operating from Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government's security regulatory committee, (it) was diverted to Delhi," Air India said in a statement. "Staff on ground are working to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected disruption, it said. All 258 people onboard the aircraft have disembarked and are currently undergoing security procedures. Once the security protocols are completed, the passengers will be moved to hotels, it added. There were 239 passengers and 19 crew members onboard the plane. The flight has been rescheduled and will now depart for New York from De

Three international flights from Mumbai receive bomb threats, say officials

Security agencies went into a tizzy after three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats on Monday, with a New York-bound Air India flight getting diverted to Delhi. Apart from the Air India flight, two IndiGo flights -- one to Muscat and another to Jeddah -- also received bomb threats, as per officials. The IndiGo flights received the threats before they took off and the planes concerned were moved to isolation bays for security checks on Monday morning. Air India in a statement said, "Flight AI119 operating Mumbai to JFK on October 14 received a specific security alert and on instructions of the government's security regulatory committee was diverted to Delhi." "The aircraft is currently stationed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and all standard safety protocols are being diligently followed to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew on board," a senior (Delhi) police officer said. All passengers have disembarked and the aircraft was b

After Air India, IndiGo flight scare, Mumbai-Howrah Mail gets bomb threat

Monday (Oct 14) started with a series of bomb threats affecting both train and air travel. 2 IndiGo flights, a New York-bound Air India aircraft, Howrah-bound Mumbai-Howrah Mail received bomb threats

Two IndiGo flights from Mumbai receive bomb threats after Air India scare

While IndiGo flight 6E 56 was en route from Mumbai to Jeddah, another flight, 6E 1275, was headed to Muscat