Page 2 - Airlines

Ensure ample staff at check-in counters, govt tells airlines as fog sets in

The meeting was called on Wednesday to assess readiness of the aviation ecosystem amid the "early onset of fog/smog" in Delhi

Airline exodus leaves Israelis and companies isolated amid Hamas war

Direct routes to dozens of major cities - Washington D.C., San Francisco, Toronto, Hong Kong, New Delhi - have been suspended, reducing face-to-face business meetings

Spirit Aero talks going well, industrial challenges lie ahead: Airbus CEO

Airbus plans to take over the running of four Spirit plants associated with its A350 and A220 jetliner programmes

Singapore Airlines continues to be our strategic partner: N Chandrasekaran

Vistara was a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and SIA, while Air India was completely owned by Tata Sons

Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy amid mounting losses and debt woes

Airlines Writer Spirit Airlines said Monday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will attempt to reboot as it struggles to recover from the pandemic-caused swoon in travel and a failed attempt to sell the airline to JetBlue. Spirit, the biggest US budget airline, has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces looming debt payments totaling more than $1 billion over the next year. Spirit said it expects to operate as normal as it works its way through a prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and that customers can continue to book and fly without interruption. Shares of Miramar, Florida-based Spirit dropped 25% on Friday, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the airline was discussing terms of a possible bankruptcy filing with its bondholders. It was just the latest in a series of blows that have sent the stock crashing down by 97% since late 2018 - when Spirit was still making money. CEO Ted Christie confirmed in August that Spirit was talkin

Spirit Airlines files for bankruptcy after long run of quarterly losses

The airline listed its estimated assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion to $10 billion each, according to a court filing on Monday

Sirius India Airlines looks to raise $100 million for services expansion

Air charter services operator Sirius India Airlines has said it looks to raise USD 100 million through debt and other instruments for fleet and services expansion as it sees demand soaring from across segments. The company said it is aiming to have a fleet of 50 private jets by financial year 2027 and spread its wings to other markets such as the Far East, Southeast Asia and East Africa as part of the long-term business plan. The proposed funds are expected to be tied-up by March next year so that the plan starts getting implemented from FY26, Sirius India Airlines founder and promoter Arun Kashyap said. The Gurugram-based aviation venture launched its air charter services in collaboration with Dubai-based Transworld Group in August this year. "We are aiming to secure USD 100 million capital by this fiscal and have already started the process to do so. We are looking at these funds both by way of debt as well as from strategic investors and are in discussions with a bunch of lender

Spirit Airlines continues talks with creditors amid bankruptcy filing

The negotiations, with a supermajority of the noteholders, have remained productive, advanced materially and are resuming in the near term

AI Express to reconfigure planes with biz class seats from April 2025

Air India Express plans to start reconfiguration of planes having business class seats from April 2025, as the airline focuses on operating narrow-body planes with only economy class seats, according to a senior official. The Tata Group-owned airline that merged AIX Connect with itself on October 1, has rationalised its network and currently has an operational fleet of 90 planes, including over 30 aircraft with dual-class seats. Amid supply chain woes impacting fresh aircraft deliveries, the airline has, so far, inducted 35 white-tail Boeing 737-8 planes. Their count will rise to 50 in the coming months. Many of these white-tail aircraft have varying numbers of business-class seats. Generally, white-tail planes are those that were originally manufactured for a particular airline and later taken by another airline. The senior airline official said it will start reconfiguration of the aircraft having business class from April onwards. The carrier wants to offer only economy class s

Indian airlines' shakeup intensifies competition, expands business seats

Vistara operates its final flight on Monday before its planned merger with Air India kicks in the following day

SIA to invest additional Rs 3,195 cr in Air India after Vistara merger

Singapore Airlines will make an additional investment of Rs 3,194.5 crore in Tata Group-owned Air India post-merger of Vistara in November. The merger, announced on November 29, 2022, and set to be completed on November 11, 2024, will result in Singapore Airlines having a 25.1 per cent stake in the enlarged Air India. Full-service carrier Vistara, which started flying on January 9, 2015, is a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, where the latter holds a 49 per cent shareholding. Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group on Friday said its consideration for the merger comprises the 49 per cent interest in Vistara and Rs 20,585 million (Rs 2,058.5 crore) in cash in exchange for a 25.1 per cent equity interest in the enlarged Air India. Post-merger, SIA expects to recognise a non-cash accounting gain of around 1.1 billion Singapore dollars and also start equity accounting for its share of Air India's financial results. According to a release on Friday, the merger includes an ...

With Vistara merging, Air India is now the only full-service Indian carrier

When Vistara folds up into the Air India Group on Monday, the number of full service carriers in the fast-growing Indian aviation space will come down to just one from five in a span of over 17 years. Also, the merger -- that will see Vistara's 49 per cent owner Singapore Airlines holding 25.1 per cent stake in Air India post the merger-- will mark the sunset of another Indian airline jointly owned by an overseas carrier after the liberalisation of foreign direct investment norms. In 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led UPA government allowed foreign airlines to buy up to 49 per cent in a domestic carrier, which later resulted in the now defunct Jet Airways securing 24 per cent stake from Gulf carrier Etihad besides the birth of AirAsia India and Vistara. Vistara is also the only full-service carrier to start operations in the last 10 years. Since the merger of full-service carrier (FSC) Indian Airlines with Air India in 2007, at least five FSCs dotted the Indian skies. As year

Southwest Airlines names IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal as Chairman

Billionaire and IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal has been appointed as the Chairman of American carrier Southwest Airlines. Gangwal, who joined the board of Southwest in July this year, had also acquired shares worth USD 108 million of the airline recently. His appointment as the board chair comes a little over a week after Southwest settled issues with Elliott Investment Management, one of the airline's largest shareholders, that had sought sweeping changes at the carrier. On Monday, Southwest announced the appointment of Gangwal as the independent Chair of the Board of Directors and also named new Board Committee Chairs. "We are embarking on the next era of change at Southwest as we build upon its many successes and storied past. Our critical priority as a newly constituted board is to come together to work closely with Bob Jordan and the rest of the management team to return the carrier to superior financial performance," Gangwal said in a statement. Jordan is the President, Chi

Major domestic routes see up to 32% drop in spot airfares for Diwali travel

Travel associations observed that demand for flights on metro routes has eased this year compared to the previous surge, which largely met the pent-up post-pandemic travel appetite

Suspect who issued hoax threats to airlines sent emails from Delhi: Police

Police in Maharashtra's Nagpur, who claimed to have identified the person behind a spate of hoax bomb threats at airports and other establishments across the country, on Wednesday said that as per their probe, the suspect sent the threat emails from Delhi. Officials probing the case said the suspect, Jagdish Shriram Uikey (35), who has authored a book on terrorism and hails from Arjuni Morgaon in Gondia district of Maharashtra, has been living in the national capital since the past few years. In the last two weeks, more than 510 domestic and international flights received bomb threats that later turned out to be hoax, causing major operational and financial distress for the airlines. Most of the threats were issued through social media. An official of the Nagpur police earlier said the investigators found that Uikey sent emails to various government bodies, including the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Railway Minister, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy, airline

Only one PIA bidder left: Why are buyers running away from Pak Airlines?

Initially, the government aimed to complete PIA's privatisation by June, but this timeline has since been pushed to October due to various delays

Irish tax perks under I-T lens: What it means for aircraft leasing?

The I-T department's scrutiny stems from notices issued to the offshore firms, asserting that their primary motivation for operating from Ireland is to evade taxation on operating lease rentals

Australian PM Albanese defends himself from free flight upgrades accusation

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said he had always acted in a transparent and appropriate way after a new book claimed that he had repeatedly requested free upgrades for personal flights on Qantas Airways. Albanese, who was transport minister in a previous government, was accused in a book released on Monday of developing an inappropriately close relationship with Alan Joyce, who was Qantas chief executive for 15 years until 2023. Qantas is Australia's largest airline and was state-owned until the 1990s. The Sydney-based airline is the country's flag carrier and must by law remain at least 51 per cent Australian owned. According to Qantas insiders, Albanese would liaise with Joyce directly about his personal travel, a published extract of the book said. The insiders were not named. Albanese said he had declared 22 free Qantas upgrades in a register of gifts to lawmakers valued at more than 300 Australian dollars (USD 197). He noted opposition lawmaker Paul ...

AICCA terms Air India's new room-sharing policy illegal, seeks intervention

The All India Cabin Crew Association has termed Tata Group-owned Air India's room-sharing policy for a section of cabin crew members as "illegal, bad in law, and Void ab initio on multiple fronts." The association has requested intervention from the Labour Ministry, urging it to stall the move. The association is seeking these entitlements hotel accommodation and conditions of accommodation in line with the policy on accommodation for pilots, as per the previous agreements and tribunal awards. The association has also written to Air India Chief Campbell Wilson, urging him "not to violate" the existing status quo, and respect the sanctity of the Industrial Tribunal and the pending Industrial dispute over the issue. Under the new policy effective December 1, members will be required to share rooms during layovers except for cabin executives and those operating ultra-long-haul flights ahead of the merger of Vistara with it, scheduled for November 11. Cabin crew members on ...

Civil Aviation Minister Naidu vows action amid surge in hoax bomb threats

On Friday, over 20 flights of various airlines reportedly received bomb threats, according to Civil Aviation ministry