Page 3 - Domestic Airlines

Domestic airline industry may report up to Rs 17k-cr loss in FY23: Report

Domestic airlines industry is expected to report a net loss of around Rs 15,000-17,000 crore this fiscal on account of elevated price of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) and a weak rupee, a report said on Wednesday. The losses for the industry in the previous fiscal were estimated at around Rs 23,000 crore, credit ratings agency Icra said in its report. However, the debt levels for the industry are expected to be at around Rs 1 lakh crore (including lease liabilities) as on March 31, 2023, as per the ratings agency. Any positive or negative movement in rupee against the US dollar and any increase or decrease in the jet fuel prices have a major bearing on the cost structure of airlines as in India, ATF accounts for around 45 per cent of the operational cost of an airline while as much as 35-50 per cent of the airlines' operating expenses are US dollar driven. Two listed airlines -- IndiGo and SpiceJet -- have reported losses to the tune of Rs 1,064 crore and Rs 789 crore, respectively, i

Could an Indian airline be in race for SriLankan Airlines stake buy?

Even if things improve, it would be hard to keep funding the airline's operations, as the airline has been bleeding money for a while.

1,900 private guards to take up non-core security roles at airports

Their functions will include segregating passengers at departure/arrival gates, checking documents in security hold areas

'High ATF prices, rupee depreciation may pose threat to carriers' recovery'

Elevated Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices and Rupee depreciation are likely to pose a serious threat to the recovery process for domestic carriers, credit ratings agency ICRA said on Wednesday. In India, ATF accounts for around 45 per cent of the operational cost of an airline. Besides, as much as 35-50 per cent of the airlines' operating expenses are US dollar driven, as per ICRA. An area of concern remains the ATF prices, which surged by around 77 per cent Y-o-Y in August, given the elevated crude oil prices due to geo-political issues arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ratings agency said. On an aggregate basis, it said a return to normalcy will lead to recovery in passenger load factors, which, in turn, will aid revenues; however, these two factors will continue to weigh on the domestic airlines'' earnings in FY23. This apart, the expected launch of Jet Airways and the entry of Akasa Air, are likely to intensify the competition for the domestic carriers. "ICR

What DGCA's new medical guidelines prescribe for transgender persons

Though regulator revised rules after government intervention, transgender applicants still have a long road ahead

Domestic airlines get a boost as Centre lifts cap on ticket prices

Shares of top airline IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation Ltd rose as much as 2.3% to 2084.6 rupees while smaller rival SpiceJet Ltd jumped as much as 7% to 47.9 rupees

Govt to remove domestic fare caps imposed on airlines August 31 onwards

But aviation executives don't see a major immediate impact

Govt will re-evaluate airfare cap depending on ATF price movement: Scindia

Scindia said that as it stands today, the fares of airlines are not close enough to the low portion of the fare cap and are very far away from the high portion of the fare cap.

Rising dues to foreign aircraft lessors choking SpiceJet's finances

At the end of FY21, SpiceJet had Rs 8,446 crore in lease liabilities primarily to offshore lessors

Airline glitches: Aircraft maintenance sector in dire need of maintenance

Pool of engineers increasing every year, though jobs have failed to keep pace

Akasa looks to undercut IndiGo as battle for cheapest airfares heats up

A week ahead of its maiden flight, airline is offering 10% lower fares on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route

Once mighty Jet Airways to fly only domestic initially as it resumes ops

The airline has told the government it plans to have 40 aircraft by December 2024 and 150 by December 2030

2 GoAir flights suffer engine trouble, both planes grounded: Regulator

A GoAir flight from Mumbai to Leh flight on Tuesday diverted to Delhi after fault in second engine, the DGCA said

SpiceJet to start 26 new flights from Friday, enhance frequencies

SpiceJet said it will start 26 new domestic flights from July 22

Labour pain for pvt domestic airlines as staff threaten mass leave over pay

Aviation regulator DGCA forced to interfere as mass leaves threaten operation and safety

Our expansion plans will take a hit due to ATF duty, say airlines

ATF accounts for around 40 per cent of an airline's operating expenses

Go First to resume Srinagar-Sharjah services by the end of this month

The airline said it has recently received the bilateral rights to operate five flights per week on the Srinagar-Sharjah-Srinagar route and is awaiting the final approval

Why India should have an informal ceiling on number of domestic airlines

India already has six airlines which is one too many if not two and economics suggests that either all will make losses or, even if some make profits, these will be low in relation to the investment

10.6 mn domestic passengers travelled in March; 38% more than Feb: DGCA

In the last two years, the aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the Covid-19 pandemic

Terrific Thursday as airlines fly over 398,000 passengers over long weekend

This is the highest single day passenger traffic since resumption of air travel in May 2020