Air Travel

Asia-Pacific regions lead 2024 with 7 of top 10 busiest airline routes

Asia-Pacific dominates Official Airline Guide's 2024 report, claiming seven of the 10 busiest airline routes. Hong Kong-Taipei leads, signalling a strong recovery in post-pandemic air travel

Mumbai Airport's total passenger traffic rises 4% in Oct to over 4.42 mn

Mumbai Airport's total passenger traffic increased 4 per cent year-on-year to over 4.42 million in October, helped by festive travel demand, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said on Friday. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), the country's second busiest airport -- 74 per cent-owned by Adani Group and the remaining 26 per cent by the state-run airports operator AAI -- had handled a total of 4.25 million passengers in October 2023. Significantly, this year, three major festivals -- Dussehra, Dhanteras and Diwali -- fell in October. "CSMIA facilitated travel for over 4.42 million passengers -- 3.16 million domestic and over 1.25 million international -- in October. This festive season saw a marked surge in both domestic and international traffic, as travellers flocked to celebrate the festival of lights," the private airport operator said in a statement. October 26, which fell on the last Saturday before the commencement of the Diwali festivities, record

Shah hails 8 years of UDAN, lauds affordable air travel, connectivity

He added that Prime Minister Modi has unlocked India's growth potential by providing the right facilities

Air traffic soars as more passengers opt for direct flights to & from India

In 2023, around 37 million international passengers booked direct flights, an increase of 2 million compared to 2019, according to UK-based air consultancy firm OAG

India and China discuss resumption of direct passenger flights after 4 yrs

Direct passenger flights between India and China were suspended in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic

DGCA's annual review shows improvement in India's air travel safety record

The number of unstabilized approaches that continue to land per ten thousand approaches has shown a continuous decreasing trend with a reduction of approximately 23 per cent and met the target

Rising airfares put a damper on Dussehra and Diwali travel plans this year

The cost of flights during Diwali week in 2024 has surged compared to the same period last year, even for bookings made three months in advance, according to media reports

Israel-Iran tensions: Air India suspends Tel Aviv flights till August 8

The Israeli government has remained silent on Haniyeh's death in Iran's capital, though Palestinian militant group Hamas points the finger at Israel

UK couple heads to Milan for sandwiches, says costlier to travel to London

As per a report, the UK couple booked a trip to Milan just to eat sandwiches. Rather than making a trip from their home to London, they concluded it was less expensive to travel to Italy

Air travel demand normalises after Covid boom, customers back to basics

Ryanair reported earlier on Monday a bigger than expected drop in quarterly profit as fares plunged 15 per cent, with management saying that ticket prices were continuing to deteriorate

June 22 GST Council meet likely to give relief to foreign airlines

Clarification could end uncertainty around some services

TDP MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu takes charge of civil aviation ministry

Telugu Desam Party MP Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Thursday assumed the charge of Civil Aviation Minister, succeeding Jyotiraditya Scindia in the new Narendra Modi-led NDA government. The 36-year-old three-time MP is the youngest Cabinet Minister in the Modi 3.0 government. "I am feeling extremely happy to be given this responsibility of leading a very important ministry, not only in the country but also in the entire world. First of all, I would like to thank TDP (Telugu Desam Party) chief and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu for giving me the opportunity to join the Cabinet and PM Modi for assigning me this ministry," he said. Naidu further said that one of the most important priorities will be to create an "ease of flying" scenario in civil aviation as air travel is becoming more and more approachable to the common man, and that has always been the motto of this government. "...we will make civil aviation or the air travel in this country more approachable to the common man of

10.5 mn flights scheduled to crisscross skies, jets burn fuel like its 2019

The International Air Transport Association is anticipating record passenger numbers this year, and planes that will be about as full as they were before the virus using record amounts of fuel

Domestic air traffic expected to rise 6-8% to 164 mn in FY25: Report

India's domestic air traffic is expected to rise 6 to 8 per cent to 161 to 164 million in the current financial year, according to a report. Aviation advisory firm CAPA India in a report on Wednesday said international air traffic is projected to jump 9-11 per cent to 75 to 78 million in the fiscal ending March 2025. The domestic carriers are projected to report consolidated losses in the range of USD 0.4 to 0.6 billion this financial year. The losses are estimated at USD 1.3 to 1.5 billion, excluding IndiGo, which is profitable. One of the reasons for the losses would be on account of capacity shortage due to the grounding of aircraft. At present, around 130 planes are grounded due to various reasons, and the number would be about 180, including the aircraft of Go First, it said. Go First stopped flying last year. In terms of the total fleet, CAPA India said net inductions are expected to be 84, taking the total number of planes with domestic carriers to 812 at the end of March

Here's why revenge travel is finally losing its appeal after three years

Travel demand is far from falling off a cliff. But there are signs that our wanderlust is downshifting from never-ending to a more normal pattern

Increasing turbulence: Why flights are facing more bumps in the sky

Fasten your seat belts: Experts believe that climate change is expected to make air travel bumpier than ever for air travellers. Learn about turbulence and safety precautions

Summer travel rises 40% this year, travel sector see buoyant demand

As Indian travellers pack their bags to escape the scorching heat, there has been a 40 per cent on-year increase in summer travel this year, with hospitality and travel services providers noticing buoyant demand. Although the ongoing general elections have had a minor impact on corporate and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) business, hotels are finding increased retail business with beach destinations still fighting it out with hill stations for the favoured holiday site. "Those in the Northern part of the country head to the hills to escape the heat. There is also movement from the cities to nearby tourist or leisure destinations. Industry sources estimate a 30 to 40 per cent increase in the summer travel this year as compared to last year," Hotel Association of India, President and Radisson Hotel Group Chairman-South Asia, KB Kachru told PTI. MakeMyTrip Co-Founder & Group CEO Rajesh Magow said, "Summer is always one of the biggest quarters of the year in

April domestic air travel growth slows to 13-month low; Air India grows

Modest growth attributed to multiple factors plaguing the aviation industry

Akasa Air now allows carriage of pets weighing up to 10 kg in cabin

Akasa Air passengers can now carry pets that weigh up to 10 kilograms in the cabin of domestic flights, with the airline on Wednesday saying the enhancement to its pet travel service has been done after taking customer feedback into consideration. In November 2022, the airline introduced the service wherein passengers have been allowed to travel on domestic flights with their cats and dogs in the cabin or cargo, based on their weight. "As part of the enhancements, Akasa Air now allows customers to travel with pets weighing up to 10 kg (including the weight of the container) in the cabin -- an increase from the previous limit of 7 kg. This change has been introduced keeping customer feedback in mind, reflecting the airline's commitment to continuously enhance its services to meet the evolving travel needs of its customers," the airline said in a release. In the cargo, pets weighing up to 32 kg are allowed by Akasa Air. According to the release, the airline has carried more than 3,20

Passenger tries to smuggle anacondas in flight baggage in B'luru; gets held

Customs officials at Kempegowda International Airport here on Monday said that a passenger was arrested for his alleged attempt to smuggle yellow anacondas concealed in his check-in baggage. Posting on social media platform X, Bengaluru Customs said they intercepted an attempt to smuggle 10 yellow anacondas concealed in the check-in bag of a passenger arriving from Bangkok. "Passenger arrested and investigation is underway. Wildlife trafficking will not be tolerated," it added. It is illegal to trade in wildlife as per Indian laws, and the Customs Act, 1962 has many sections on combatting wildlife trafficking.