Page 2 - Aviation

Aircraft grounding crisis has peaked, says IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers

"We've turned the corner," Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Tuesday

Air India gets DGCA nod to perform in-house changes to aircraft interiors

Air India has received aviation regulator DGCA's approval to carry out modifications in aircraft interiors in-house as the Tata Group-owned airline works on revamping its fleet and expanding operations. The full-service carrier has a collaboration with Tata Technologies to enhance aircraft interiors in its fleet. In a release on Monday, Air India said the Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will enable the airline to independently make design changes in-house and implement modifications to its aircraft interiors more efficiently. "DOA is a transformative step towards enhancing Air India's in-house capabilities, which has been bolstered by decisions to set up its own engineering, maintenance and training facilities. This will enhance operational efficiency and make the airline more self-reliant," it added. An official said the approval will also allow Air India to offer the services to other Indian airlines in the future. Air Ind

First C-295 plane to roll out of Vadodara facility in September 2026

Ahead of the inauguration of a manufacturing facility for C-295 planes in Vadodara, official sources on Sunday said of the 40 aircraft to be made in India, the first C-295 is likely to roll out of the plant in September 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Final Assembly Line (FAL) plant of C-295 aircraft in Vadodara in October 2022. The Ministry of Defence in September 2021 signed a Rs 21,935-crore contract with Airbus Defense and Space SA, Spain for supply of 56 aircraft. Of these 56 aircraft, a total of 16 will be brought in flyaway condition directly from Spain, and 40 will be built in India by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). First C-295 medium tactical transport aircraft was delivered in September 2023. As on date, the IAF has "already inducted six C-295 aircraft" in its Vadodara-based 11 Squadron. The last of the 16 flyaway aircraft will be delivered by August 2025, an official source said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is schedul

Iran's aviation authority cancels flights until further notice amid tension

Notably, this Israeli strike on Iran is in response to "relentless attacks" from Iran and its proxies since October 7

Spirit AeroSystems posts deep losses in Q3 as Boeing strike hit finances

Boeing suppliers that invested heavily on materials and tooling to support the planemaker's planned ramp-up of jets have been furloughing workers in recent weeks and holding off on investments due

Here's a list of airlines suspending flights amid tensions in Middle East

The Franco-Dutch group's low-cost unit Transavia cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March

CISF, BCAS brief home secretary on surge in hoax bomb threats on flights

On October 20, the issue caused over 20 flights operated by IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Vistara receiving bomb threats. IndiGo issued a series of press statements detailing the threats received

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

Vistara flight denied Afghan airspace after bomb scare, returns to Delhi

When Afghan airspace officials were notified of the 'non-specific' bomb threat, they refused permission for the Vistara flight to pass through

After Boeing, Airbus to slash 2,500 jobs amid ongoing financial losses

These job cuts at Airbus, which represent around 7 per cent of its defence and space division's workforce, are expected to be implemented by mid-2026

US condemns threats to commercial aviation amid air India flight incidents

The United States on Tuesday said any kind of threats against commercial aviation are inappropriate as several Air India flights, including those headed to Chicago and New York, received threat of a bomb in the planes. The New Delhi-Chicago flight made an emergency landing at Iqaluit Airport in Canada, Mumbai-New York flight landed in New Delhi while fighter jets were deployed for the plane headed towards Singapore. For the past several months, a group of American and Canadian citizens, primarily from separatist Sikh groups, have been openly calling for blowing up Air India flights. Any kind of threats against commercial aviation are inappropriate and matters that are dealt with extremely seriously by our own law enforcement agencies. I would refer to those law enforcement agencies to speak about I think it's a matter for law enforcement agencies, predominantly the Department of Justice, to speak to as, a first instance, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at

India has opportunity to create next gen innovative products: Boeing

India has a tremendous opportunity to merge its engineering capabilities with great quality to create the most innovative products of the next generation, Boeing India President Salil Gupte said on Tuesday. The country's companies must also look at moving up the ladder in value in the global supply chain and cash in on opportunities, he said while speaking at a symposium organised by India Foundation for Quality Management. "Whether you're talking about the auto sector, whether you're talking about industrial engineered systems, whether you're talking about defence, we have a tremendous opportunity in India," Gupte said. Elaborating further, he said India has always had, over the last 30-50 years, strong engineering and design capabilities. "Now, with this quality push in India, especially over the last 10 years, you've seen manufacturing transform. And from that transformation comes the opportunity for India to merge that great engineering with that great quality to create the mos

India needs over $170 bn to fund aviation expansion: S&P Global Ratings

India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets and domestic passenger traffic is expected to double to 300 million by 2030

Average airfares around Diwali drop 20-25% on many domestic routes

Air passengers might have a reason to smile this Diwali season as average airfares on many domestic routes have dropped 20-25 per cent compared to the year-ago period, according to an analysis. Increased capacity and the recent fall in oil prices are considered to be among the factors for the fall in air ticket prices. The analysis by travel portal ixigo showed that average airfare on the domestic routes have declined in the range of 20-25 per cent. The prices are for one-way average fare on a 30 days APD (advanced purchase date) basis. For 2023, the time period considered is November 10-16 while it is October 28-November 3 for this year. This is the time around Diwali. The maximum decline of average airfare is 38 per cent for a Bengaluru-Kolkata flight to Rs 6,319 this year from Rs 10,195 last year, as per the analysis. The ticket price on Chennai-Kolkata route has fallen 36 per cent to Rs 5,604 from Rs 8,725. The average airfare for Mumbai-Delhi flight has dropped 34 per cent

Sky High explores IndiGo's unique approach and its future path

What keeps one going through the pages of this book is its racy style, quite like a reporter's diary with anecdotes seen and heard

IndiGo's punctuality drops to 54% on Saturday due to systems outage

The airline's OTP between October 1 and October 4 was somewhere between 74.9 and 80.3 per cent, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation's data

Airlines suspend flights in region amidst rising Middle East tensions

Airlines said they would avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace amid rise in escalation

An air train at Delhi airport: Travel from T1 to T3 smoothly in 2028

This project is designed to cut down on travel time, offering smooth connections across key hubs like Terminal 1, Terminal 2/3, Aerocity, and Cargo City

Merger in full swing: Air India group to introduce uniform crew policy

Some of the new policies have been welcomed by pilots and cabin crew, while others have sparked criticism

Digi Yatra to be made available in regional, int'l languages: Official

Digi Yatra, which seeks to provide seamless movement at airport check points, will be made available in regional and international languages, according to a senior official. The facility is now available at 24 airports and is expected to be rolled out at 4-5 more airports in the coming months. Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi on Tuesday said a pilot project is likely by June next year for connecting two countries with Digi Yatra. Under the pilot project, foreign citizens will be able to use Digi Yatra. Speaking at the CAPA India Digital Aviation Summit in the national capital, Khadakbhavi said a campaign will be started to sensitise passengers about the facility. While Digi Yatra is slowly gaining traction, concerns have been expressed in various quarters about the privacy of data of the passengers. He said Digi Yatra will be made available in regional and international languages. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seam