Page 2 - Air Passenger

Air India launches revamped customer loyalty programme with added features

Private carrier Air India on Wednesday launched a revamped loyalty programme with a simplified structure, offering more rewards and added benefits to its customers. In its first overhaul in more than a decade, the revamped loyalty programme -- Flying Returns -- moves away from the legacy model of miles-based collection of points to a fairer, more equitable spend-based approach, Air India said in a statement. Members of the programme will now be able to avail the benefits and collect points based on the new structure, starting Wednesday, it said without divulging the number of the existing members. Some of the features of the revamped programme include no expiry of points for active members, no blackout dates, same tier privileges, collection and redemption across Star Alliance partner airlines worldwide and new customer-friendly digital interface to provide a one-stop platform for transactions, among others, it said.

Domestic carriers set to operate 6% additional flights in summer

The largest domestic airline, IndiGo, is slated to operate 13,050 flights every week, a 13.8 per cent (Y-o-Y) rise from 11,465 flights in the previous year

IAF airlifts over 700 stranded passengers between Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh

The Indian Air Force (IAF) airlifted over 700 stranded passengers between the twin union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on Saturday, an official said. While 514 passengers were airlifted from Jammu to Leh in two sorties of IL-76, 223 persons were flown from Srinagar to Leh in another sortie, the official said. With this, a total of 1,251 persons were airlifted between Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh this week. Earlier on Monday, 331 passengers were airlifted in separate sorties of AN-32, also known as Kargil courier, by the IAF between Jammu and Kashmir to Kargil. The Kargil courier was launched by the IAF on January 22 following closure of 434-km Srinagar-Leh national highway owing to heavy snowfall. The Kargil courier service operates three days a week between Jammu and Srinagar, and twice a week between Srinagar and Kargil to facilitate the stranded passengers. The passengers have expressed their gratitude to all authorities, particularly the IAF, for facilitating

FSSAI finds mismatch in licence by food operators serving airlines

FSSAI said flight kitchen operators would endorse the food service (caterer) business in the FSSAI licence

Airlines witness dip in use of freight-carrying capacity in January

Passenger load factor also sees decline after year-end jump

With 11.9 mn arrivals, India tops list for number of passengers in Dubai

India emerged at the top spot for the highest number of passengers flying through the Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, with traffic totalling 11.9 million guests, the airport announced on Monday. According to a statement, the Dubai airport, known as DXB, surpassed not only its own yearly forecast but also pre-pandemic levels of traffic. In 2023, DXB witnessed a surge in passenger numbers, reaching 86.9 million passengers (86,994,365), an impressive year-on-year increase of 31.7 per cent. It was just under a per cent higher than the passenger numbers recorded in 2019 (86.4 million), the numbers were driven by robust growth in the second half of the year during which the airport recorded a total of 45.4 million guests. With 7.8 million guests, December was the busiest month in the fourth quarter during which the airport welcomed a total of 22.4 million guests, a year-on-year growth of 13.8 per cent compared to Q4 of last year. Q3 remained the

Unruly passengers on no-fly list soared 78% last year, shows data

Whenever a passenger indulges in unruly behaviour, the incident must be investigated by the airline's internal committee to decide the duration for which the passenger will be banned from

542 enforcement actions in 2023 for various violations, says DGCA

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday said it took 542 enforcement actions, including against airlines and personnel, last year, which was 77 per cent higher than similar actions taken in 2022. As many as 5,745 surveillance activities were carried out by the regulator last year which was also an all-time high as part of enhanced oversight efforts. "Significant enforcement actions for the year 2023 included suspension of Approved Training Organisation of Air India and financial penalties on airlines like Air India, Air Asia, IndiGo and SpiceJet for various non-compliances. "Enforcement Actions were also taken on erring pilots/cabin crew, ATCOs, non-scheduled airlines, flying training organisations and aerodrome operators," the regulator said in a release. According to the release, DGCA conducted 5,745 surveillance activities -- 4,039 planned surveillance activities, 1,706 spot checks and night surveillance -- which was an all-time high. "This marked a notabl

Passenger traffic rose 35% to 51.58 million at Mumbai airport in 2023

Air passenger traffic at the city's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) jumped 35 per cent year-on-year to 51.58 million in 2023. The airport, promoted by Adani Group and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), handled a total of 38.33 million passengers in 2022. Compared to the pre-pandemic level (2019), the growth in total traffic was 110 per cent, airport operator Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said in a statement. Out of the 51.58 million passengers seen last year, over 25.4 million passengers arrived and 26.1 million passengers departed from the airport, MIAL said in a release on Tuesday. In 2023, MIAL said it handled 20 per cent more Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) at 3,34,391 arrivals and departures compared to 2,77,052 ATMs recorded a year earlier. According to the release, 2023 has been a fruitful year for the domestic aviation industry, especially in the months of November and December. The highest passenger traffic movement in a single day fo

Passenger assaulting pilot unacceptable, says IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers

IndiGo chief Pieter Elbers on Thursday referred to a recent incident of a passenger assaulting one of its pilots, calling it is "unacceptable", and said the airline's operations are back to normal as flight cancellations over fog-related disruptions in northern India in recent days have come down. Speaking to mediapersons, he said the airline industry witnessed probably the worst fog in many many years, impacting flight operations, which has become a challenge. We all have seen some of the situations which did not go well. We have seen some of the examples. Passengers were stressed and frustrated after long waiting hours. But I would like to call out the incredible amount of work my colleagues have done in going beyond their normal call of duty... he said. A passenger on an IndiGo flight was arrested after he assaulted a pilot when he was making an announcement regarding a delay in takeoff at Delhi airport, police said on Monday. A purported video of the incident that took place ..

DGCA looking into incident of SpiceJet passenger getting stuck in lavatory

In an unfortunate mid-air incident on Tuesday, a SpiceJet passenger was stuck inside an aircraft lavatory for around an hour due to malfunctioning of the door lock. The incident occurred onboard the flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru on Tuesday, and the airline is providing a full refund to the passenger, according to a SpiceJet spokesperson. The airline has also apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passenger. Soon after landing at the Bengaluru airport, an engineer opened the lavatory door and the passenger came out. Details about the passenger could not be immediately ascertained. "On 16 January, a passenger unfortunately got stuck inside the lavatory for about an hour on SpiceJet flight operating from Mumbai to Bengaluru, while the aircraft was airborne due to a malfunction in the door lock. "Throughout the journey, our crew provided assistance and guidance to the passenger. Upon arrival, an engineer opened the lavatory door, and the passenger received immediate medical

Passenger who slapped IndiGo pilot after 13-hour flight delay arrested

In a statement, the airline said a passenger "assaulted" the co-pilot and that the matter had been referred to an independent internal committee for his inclusion in the "no-fly list"

'Hope airfares come to right sweet spot,' says Vistara's chief Vinod Kannan

Emphasising that airfare is a function of supply and demand, full-service carrier Vistara's chief Vinod Kannan has expressed hope that ticket prices will come to the "right sweet spot where customers will travel and airlines can make money". Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, currently, operates around 320 flights daily. To a query on concerns in certain quarters about air ticket prices going irrationally high, the airline CEO said the thing with airfares is that people complain when it goes high and no one compliments when it goes down. "There are times in the year due to seasonality...our fares in 2023 were even lower than 2022," he noted. During an interaction with PTI, Kannan said that certain measures are in place to ensure that airfares are not irrational, especially when there are natural calamities or when something unfortunate happens. In such situations, "we want to make sure that it is not a price-gouging opportunity," he said. "If you

Eight out of ten fliers faced issues with Indian airlines, says survey

Major challenges identified include issues with in-flight services, boarding, check-in, baggage procedures, and poor aircraft interiors, including seats

French judge to decide on extending stay of 303 passengers, mostly Indians

The 303 passengers, mostly Indians, of a plane detained by French authorities since Thursday over suspected "human trafficking", are set to appear before a judge on Sunday at the airport to decide on their continued detention. The plane that took off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates carrying 303 passengers and bound for Nicaragua was grounded at the Chalons-Vatry airport in Marne on Thursday over suspected "human trafficking. Hearings before a judge of freedoms and detention will begin this Sunday to decide whether or not to keep in the waiting area of the airport the passengers of the flight, BFM TV, a French news broadcast television and radio network, reported. Francois Procureur, lawyer and president of Chalons-en-Champagne, said: I don't know if this has already been done in France. Vatry airport, in Marne, 150 km east of Paris, is preparing to become a courtroom. The airport mostly serves budget airlines. The 303 passengers must appear before the judge from 9 am this .

Delhi Airport saw highest-ever single-day passenger traffic on November 28

Delhi Airport also witnessed the highest-ever traffic in the first 8 months of a financial year at 47.8 million

India's busiest routes see surprise dip in airfares for year-end travel

Fare 'adjustment' comes as airlines seek to rectify missteps taken before Diwali

Average daily international passenger traffic soared 8.36% in November

The average daily domestic traffic also rose by 3.94 per cent M-o-M to 423,883 in November due to Diwali and other festivals

India projected to see domestic air passenger traffic of 155 mn in FY24

India is projected to see a domestic air passenger traffic of around 155 million in the current financial year while the number of grounded aircraft of the domestic carriers is expected to be around 200, according to a report released on Monday. Aviation advisory firm CAPA India said the international air passenger traffic is anticipated to be about 70 million in the year ending March 2024. "Domestic air traffic in FY2024 has remained above FY2020 levels in every month to date, although the strength of recovery has eased in the last couple of months. "Since May 2023, international traffic has remained largely in line with FY2020 but is expected to move ahead in the remainder of the year," it said. In its March report, CAPA India had estimated domestic air passenger traffic at more than 160 million and international air passenger traffic at 72-75 million. As per the report, overall industry profitability is expected to be largely in line with our initial guidance of a loss of USD .

After Air India, IndiGo launches AI-powered chat assistant for customers

While Maharaja is powered by Microsoft's Azure OpenAI service, 6Eskai is powered by Microsoft's GPT-4 technology