Page 2 - Air Travel

AAI to post highest ever pre-tax profit of Rs 5,000 crore in FY24

Airports Authority of India (AAI) is expected to report the highest-ever profit of Rs 5,000 crore in the financial year 2023-24, a senior official said on Monday. In recent years, the number of airports has gone up, especially with the regional air connectivity scheme, amid rising domestic air traffic. AAI Chairman Sanjeev Kumar said the organisation surpassed the capital expenditure target at around Rs 5,250 crore in the fiscal ended March 2024. In 2023-24, the turnover is expected to be around Rs 15,000 crore and the profit before tax at Rs 5,000 crore, which will be the "highest ever in our history," Kumar said. He was speaking at the 29th annual day of the AAI. At the function, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the number of airports, heliports and waterdromes has increased to 157 from 74 in the last 10 years. Efforts are on to increase the number to 200, he added.

Over 44% passengers paid extra charges on booking flight tickets: Survey

As much as 44 per cent respondents in a survey complained that they had to pay extra charges to get a seat at the time of purchase of a flight ticket. Many of the respondents also reported paying between Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 as seat allocation fee, which can amount to 5-40 per cent of the air fare, LocalCircles, which carried out the survey, said in a statement. It also said there has been a very marginal improvement in the last 12 months in the ability of consumers to get a free seat when booking their flight. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs and consumer regulator CCPA late last year convened a meeting of the airlines on the issue and questioned them about the alleged unfair trade practices and misleading claims of "free" web check-in, it said. The new survey, which received over 41,000 responses from consumers across 339 districts of the country, has focused on fliers' problems when booking for travel with family members, particularly young children, LocalCircles said. According

TMSEp634:Air travel safety, online gaming, CPSE stocks, bereavement policy

How can air travellers fly safely in Indian skies? What's next for online gaming after SRO failure? Is it time to be cautious in CPSE stocks? What is Air Canada's bereavement policy? All answers here

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

Man walks on parked plane's wing in Mexico, passengers hail him. Here's why

At least 77 passengers aboard the AeroMexico flight to Guatemala extended their support to the man for his actions over the more than four-hour plane delay at the Mexico airport

JetBlue's buyout of Spirit Airlines blocked over threat to competition

A federal judge is siding with the Biden administration and blocking JetBlue Airways from buying Spirit Airlines, saying the $3.8 billion deal would reduce competition. The Justice Department sued to block the merger, saying it would drive up fares by eliminating Spirit, the nation's biggest low-cost airline. JetBlue said it disagreed with the ruling and was considering whether to appeal. The New York carrier argued that it needs the deal to compete better against bigger rivals that dominate the US air-travel market. We continue to believe that our combination is the best opportunity to increase much needed competition and choice by bringing low fares and great service to more customers in more markets," JetBlue said in a statement. The ruling was a victory for the Biden administration, which has moved aggressively to block consolidation in several industries, arguing that it hurts consumers. In the airline case, the Justice Department said if JetBlue were allowed to buy Spirit, i

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

Mumbai airport handled the highest-ever 4.46 mn passengers in November

On 25 November, the airport experienced peak activity, recording a footfall of 167,132 passengers. This figure comprises 120,000 domestic and more than 46,000 international passengers

Air passenger traffic increased 2.5 times since we came to power: BJP MP

On the growth of international passengers, the Rajya Sabha MP said, "International passengers increased from 43 million in 2014 to 64 million today."

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

Safe IPO investments, private jet boom: Top personal finance stories

Instead of getting carried away by hype, investors must do a rational assessment of these offerings to determine if they are better bet than sector peers already available in secondary market

Global air passenger traffic hit highest number since pandemic on Nov 24

The international air passenger traffic touched 1,06,827 on Friday, the highest level post the coronavirus pandemic, according to union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. This also comes at a time when the country's domestic air passenger traffic scaled a new peak of 4,63,417 on Thursday. In a post on X, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday said international air passenger traffic stood at 1,06,827 on November 24 and it was the "highest post Covid international air traffic". "A landmark day for Indian aviation sector! After reaching the milestone of carrying 4.63 lakh daily domestic passengers, the sector has achieved yet another feat of carrying more than 1 lakh daily international passengers," he said. Meanwhile, so far this month, the domestic air passenger traffic has touched new highs at least four times -- on November 23, 20, 19 and 20. "Post-Covid, India's domestic aviation's turnaround story has not just been overwhelming but inspiring as well. "Positive .

Seven arrested for stealing valuables from passengers' bags at IGI Airport

Seven people were arrested for allegedly stealing valuables from passengers' bags at the IGI Airport in Delhi and recovered several items, including luxury watches, police said on Saturday. The accused have been identified as Manoj Kumar, Hari Darshan, Balwinder, Praveen Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Subodh and Satish Kumar Verma, they said. Gold jewellery, currency of five countries, two Apple AirPods, a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses and two luxury watches -- a Rado and a De Grisogono -- were recovered from the accused. The case stems from a complaint registered at IGI Airport police station by Punjab native Paramjeet Kaur. Kaur said she arrived in Delhi from Melbourne on September 16 and was to take a connecting flight to Amritsar, a senior police officer said. Before boarding her flight to Amritsar, when her baggage was found to be overweight, she opened her bags and adjusted the articles. However, when she reached home, she found the gold items in her bags missing, Deputy Commissioner of

IRCTC to waive off convenience fee on air tickets booked between Sept 25-27

Customers can also avail of discounts up to Rs 2,000 on card transactions of different banks on the IRCTC website

Global air tickets face potential price hikes as Chinese return to skies

China's return is thought to be the final missing piece in the global air travel recovery

Airline travel delays pick up early, expected to grow steadily worse

Travellers are getting hit with delays at US airports again early on Wednesday, an ominous sign heading into the long July 4 holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers. As of early morning, more than 900 flights have been delayed in the US, according to FlightAware. Cancellations topped more than 670 flights. Cancellations and delays were most severe along the East Coast early and were growing worse rapidly. Disruptions are expected to spread West. The delays are being compounded by thunderstorms that raked the Northeast on Tuesday. At various times, the Federal Aviation Administration held up flights bound for LaGuardia Airport in New York and Reagan Washington National and Baltimore-Washington airports near the nation's capital. About 6,500 flights were delayed and about 1,900 cancelled on the East Coast on Tuesday. United Airlines, with a major hub in Newark, New Jersey, cancelled ab

China issues 60,000 visas to Indian nationals since Jan 2023 after 3 yrs

Earlier in March 2023, China announced that it will be allowing the entry of foreign tourists into the country, including from India for the first time in three years

Singapore Airlines reports record annual profit in 76-year history

The airline said it could ramp up operations at short notice when demand for air travel surged after Singapore fully reopened its borders in April 2022

With Go First gone, rivals Air India, IndiGo, others ramp up flights

The government of India has also allotted cash-strapped Go First slots after representations that airports will lose money if they are not utilised

Lack of planes, customers willing to pay more to keep flying expensive

As many as 16,000 aircraft - about two-thirds of the world's commercial fleet - was grounded at the height of the pandemic