Page 13 - Aviation Sector

Vietnamese airlines should explore direct flights to NE states: Minister

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh on Saturday urged airlines from Vietnam to explore launching direct flights to cities in north-eastern states of India to provide increased investment and tourism opportunities to both countries. Guwahati, considered the Gateway to Southeast Asia, has an international airport with direct flights connecting Bangkok and Singapore, Singh said while addressing a session on investment and trade at the North East India Festival here. "All eight North East states are well connected by air, land and rail with other parts of India. I invite airlines from Vietnam to explore possibilities of connecting NE states with cities by air," he said. Singh said that India and Vietnam are long-standing friends with their bilateral relations and friendship rooted in shared history. He said the relation has been further strengthened by India's Act East Policy. "It has further fostered its strategic relationship promoting economic cooperat

DGCA transfers two senior officials over allegations of corruption

The regulator's action comes four days after suspending operations at Redbird Flight Training Academy, one of India's largest flight training centres, across all its five training bases in the country

Govt to meet airlines officials to discuss consumer grievances on Nov 8

Amid rising complaints from air travellers, the Centre has called a meeting on November 8 with senior officials of all airlines and travel portals to discuss grievances related to 'refund not given after ticket cancellation' and showing every seat as 'paid' despite free web check-in, among others. Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, in a media briefing, said about 10,000 complaints related to the airline sector has been received through the government's National Consumer Helpline in the last one year. About half of the complaints are related to "ticket cancelled but no refund received from airlines". Some of the major grievances also include airlines showing every seat as paid despite free mandatory web check-in, he said. "These complaints are just a tip of the iceberg. We have called a meeting on November 8 to discuss these consumer grievances with all airlines, travel portals and consumer organisations," Singh said. While booking a ticket either through airline websites

Demystifying airline seat charges: Rules and logic behind web check-in fees

From low-cost carriers to full-service providers, how Indian airlines define their seat pricing strategies

Tata-owned Air India Express to double its pilot count in next one year

Air India Express is in the process of merging low-cost domestic carrier AirAsia India with itself, and last week unveiled its new brand identity

India, UK hold first '2+2' foreign & defence dialogue to boost cooperation

The inaugural India-UK '2+2' foreign and defence dialogue on Monday saw the two sides focusing on ways to boost cooperation in a range of key areas such as trade and investment, defence, critical technologies, civil aviation, health and energy. At the senior official-level dialogue, the two sides also discussed international developments including in the Indo-Pacific region and considered the possibility of enhancing anti-terror collaboration, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The 2+2 dialogue at senior official level is a mechanism to discuss and review all aspects of India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership. The dialogue took place as the two sides are exploring the possibility of a visit to India by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak later this month. The MEA said the two sides discussed "possibilities for further collaboration particularly in areas of trade and investment, defence, critical and emerging technologies, civil aviation, health, energy, cultur

India offers lot of opportunities to aviation sector: DFS Secy Joshi

India offers a lot of opportunities to the aviation industry, and the government has taken many initiatives to promote investment in the sector, Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi said on Saturday. Addressing a roundtable conference on the airport sector organised by IIFCL, Joshi said the launch of the 'Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik' (UDAN) scheme has led to significant development of the sector in the past 7-8 years. As a result, the number of airports has almost doubled from 74 in 2014 to 148 in 2023, giving a boost to regional connectivity. The government has additionally given in-principle approval for setting up 21 greenfield airports across the country, he noted. Further, he said, two big airports coming up in Noida and Navi Mumbai will add to the capacity of the airports in the country. India's aviation industry has seen a remarkable boost in recent years facilitated by the government's investor-friendly legislation, supportive ecosystem and growing demand. The aviation .

Lessors seek deregistration of Go First aircraft after MCA notification

Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju initially remarked that 'it is incumbent upon the DGCA to deregister the aircraft'. However, she later permitted the DGCA to articulate their position on the matter

Govt changes insolvency rules to exclude leased aircraft from moratorium

Some provisions of the Indian Bankruptcy Code will not apply to transactions relating to aircraft, aircraft engines, airframes and helicopters, the notice showed

Air India to operate non-stop Kolkata-Bangkok flights from Oct 23

Air India is all set to introduce a non-stop service between Kolkata and Bangkok from October 23. Launched during the festive season in Kolkata, this new flight will cater to the need for a convenient direct connection between the two cities, the airline said in a statement on Wednesday. It will operate six days a week from Monday to Friday. Flight number AI-322 will depart Kolkata at 10 pm (local time) to reach Bangkok at 2.05 am (local time) the next day. The return flight AI321 will take off from Bangkok at 3.05 am to land in Kolkata at 4.10 am. The flight will be operated with a narrow-body Airbus aircraft and it will have a two-class configuration business and economy. The direct service to Bangkok will offer an opportunity for Air India passengers to take convenient connections via Bangkok to and from 10 popular destinations in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia on the network of Bangkok Airways, with which Air India enjoys an interline partnership with seamless connections beyon

Jalan Kalrock Consortium infuses Rs 100 crore in cash-strapped Jet Airways

JKC also said it is expecting the airline to be up and running next year with the launch date likely to be announced in the next few days

India is one of world's most competitive aviation markets: IndiGo CEO

India is one of the most competitive aviation markets in the world and there is also a lot of competition in the market, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said on Tuesday. IndiGo is the country's largest carrier with a domestic market share of more than 63 per cent and is also expanding its international operations. The airline connects 32 international and 81 domestic destinations. According to Elbers, India is an incredible and one of the most competitive aviation markets in the world. IndiGo is going through a "maturing phase", he said and stressed on the need for having aviation hubs in India, which is under served. Elbers was speaking at the conference of the All India Management Association (AIMA) in the national capital.

Aviation leasing watchdog cuts India's compliance rating amid Go First row

The courtroom battle started after Go First was granted bankruptcy protection in May. Under Indian law, that prevented lessors from recovering 50-plus grounded Airbus planes

Airbus appoints sales chief Scherer as head of core planemaking biz

The move, to be announced within days, frees CEO Guillaume Faury to focus on broader strategy after four years of doubling up as planemaking boss, notably during the pandemic

Aviation services provider Celebi may invest $80 million in next 4 years

Aviation services provider Celebi India may invest around USD 80 million in the business in the next four years as it eyes more airports besides enhancing cargo capacity, a top company executive has said. The company, which offers ground handling services and cargo operations, also plans to switch to an all-electric fleet across the airports it renders services at present, according to Murali Ramachandran, President for India & S-E Asia at Celebi Aviation Holdings, said. The company currently has the mandate to provide ground handling services at nine airports -- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Mopa (Goa) and Kannur -- and handle cargo operations at Delhi airport through a joint venture with Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). "Celebi has already invested around USD 250 million (since its entry in the Indian market in 2007). In terms of expected investment, we will be adding USD 28 million in ground handling in the next four years. Around USD ..

India's struggling carrier Akasa blames regulator 'inaction' as pilots quit

Akasa is suing some of the pilots for alleged contractual violations, and has warned in court that it might have to shut down if the exits continue

Domestic aviation sector experiences soaring passenger traffic in 2023

The Indian domestic aviation sector has witnessed an impressive surge in passenger traffic during the first eight months of 2023.

Air India, Vistara merger: Creditors to vote on merger proposal on Sept 23

Air India is wholly owned by Tata Sons, whereas Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and SIA

Akasa's future: CEO Dube seeks to douse fire lit by lawyers' closure claims

Akasa's lawyers had said in the Delhi HC on Tuesday that the airline was in a "state of crises" and might "shut down" due to the abrupt resignation of 43 pilots to join rival airlines

Air India's SFO flight from Bengaluru diverted to Alaska due to tech issue

A San Francisco (SFO)-bound Air India flight from Bengaluru, with more than 280 people onboard, was diverted to a city in Alaska due to a technical issue, according to an airline official. After fixing the issue, flight AI 175 took off and landed at San Francisco at around 1000 hours India time on Monday, the official said. There were more than 280 people onboard and the flight later landed at its destination after a delay of around four hours, the official said. In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said the flight was briefly diverted to Anchorage in Alaska due to a technical reason. "All passengers were well looked after, and the flight thereafter continued to its destination San Francisco, where it landed safely. Air India regrets any inconvenience that the delay may have caused," the spokesperson said. Generally, the duration of the flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco is around 16 hours.