India Aviation

Domestic air traffic to rise 7-10% to 164-170 million in FY25: ICRA

Domestic air traffic is projected to rise 7-10 per cent to 164-170 million in the current fiscal year, while the aviation industry's loss is pegged at Rs 2,000-3,000 crore during the same period, according to rating agency Icra. In the first half of 2024-25, Icra said domestic air passenger traffic stood at 79.3 million, marking a 5.3 per cent annual growth that was partly impacted by the severe heat wave and other weather-related disruptions. The international passenger traffic growth for Indian carriers increased and stood at 16.2 per cent in the first half of the current financial year. On Tuesday, the rating agency said domestic air traffic is expected to jump 7-10 per cent on an annual basis to 164-170 million in FY2025. Icra maintained a 'stable' outlook on the Indian aviation industry, amidst continued growth in domestic and international air passenger traffic. Kinjal Shah, Senior Vice President & Co-Group Head at Icra, said the industry is expected to report a net loss of

Indian skies left with just one full-service carrier after Vistara merger

With Vistara merging into Air India, the number of full-service carriers in India will drop to just one, marking the end of a 17-year era of multiple full-service carriers in the country

A regional airline without call centre; FLY91 remains 'digital native'

After taking to the skies nearly seven months ago, FLY91 is on a steady flight path and that too with a difference. The regional carrier does not have a call centre for passengers. Focused on being a "digital native" company, the Goa-based carrier prepared a list of priorities before commencing operations and decided to do away with certain things that are traditionally done by the airlines. "We consciously wanted to go down that path (of not having a call centre)...," FLY91's Chief Technology Officer Prasanna Subramaniam said. There are huge cost savings with not having the call centre and it also gives the advantage as the savings are being used for building new digital applications somewhere else, he told PTI in a recent interview. Currently, FLY91, which commenced flying on March 18, operates two ATR 72-600 aircraft. It has around 16 departures a day. The airline has a fully automated bot that responds to customer queries. In case a customer wants to have a personal talk, then

Delhi HC upholds order allowing grounding engines leased to SpiceJet

The division bench rejected cash-strapped airline SpiceJet's plea, saying it did not agree with the single-judge order and asked the parties to settle

Slight improvement, but airlines continue to struggle with punctuality

SpiceJet, which has been dealing with major financial difficulties, was at the bottom of the chart, recording an average daily OTP of just 49.85 per cent, as per the ministry's data

India to boost helicopter manufacturing, says aviation minister Naidu

Expanding the helicopter industry presents a significant opportunity and the government is set to advance towards manufacturing helicopters, Union Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said on Friday. India is poised for a significant transformation in its aviation sector with the introduction of the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill, 2024, he said. The Bill was moved for passage in the Lok Sabha on Friday. It promises to enhance the country's aviation capabilities, including helicopter manufacturing and the introduction of seaplanes. In a speech delivered while introducing the Bill, the minister highlighted the potential for growth in India's helicopter industry, noting that the country operated just 250 helicopters at present. "This is a great opportunity to tap into. We are going to manufacture helicopters and the state-of-design element in the Bill will improve the establishment of manufacturing plants and designs," he said. The minister expressed confidence that once the .

Tata group airlines complete harmonising operating manual ahead of merger

The harmonisation of operating manuals across all Tata group airlines has been completed in the run-up to the Vistara-Air India merger and amalgamation of AIX Connect with Air India Express, a statement said on Monday. At present, the steel-to-software conglomerate fully owns three airlines -- Air India, Air India Express and AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) -- while it holds a majority of 51 per cent in Vistara. Singapore Airlines holds the remaining 49 per cent in Vistara. Following the completion of the harmonisation of the operating manuals, Air India said there will be two separate manuals, one for the full-service carrier Air India and the other for the low-cost cost-carrier Air India Express. Before this, all four airlines had separate operating manuals. Over the last 18 months, a team of more than 100 members have worked to align on the best practices and adopt common operating procedures, Air India noted. "This is an important milestone in the merger of the Tata Grou

Post-pandemic travel boom to sustain high airfares, says new AirAsia boss

The global aviation industry has been transformed as the post-pandemic reopening unleashed a wave of pent-up travel demand that's sent ticket prices surging faster than inflation

IndiGo lands, Air India takes off on same runway at same time in Mumbai

ATC official de-rostered; DGCA, AAI probing the incident

India's aviation mkt growth needs to be matched with capacity: Emirates CCO

Indian aviation market's pace of growth needs to be matched with capacity, and increased competition will provide more choices for consumers, Emirates Airline Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim has said, as he pitched for increased bilateral flying rights between Dubai and India. On whether Emirates is looking for partners in India, Kazim said it is open to any such future engagements if there is an appetite in an Indian airline for that sort of dialogue and engagement. For the full-service carrier, he said India is a top-tier market, and the demand today is exceeding the current capacity offered in the country. Currently, the airline operates direct flights to nine Indian cities from Dubai. Over the years, the airline has been pitching for enhanced bilateral rights between the two countries, which is currently at 65,000 seats per week, to operate at a higher capacity to meet the rising travel demand. "India has always remained an important market for Emirat

'India a big market; good to have stronger Lufthansa-Air India partnership'

India is a big aviation market and a stronger partnership between Air India and Lufthansa is good, as efforts of the Star Alliance are to bring the partners together to provide a unique value proposition for the passengers, the airline grouping's CEO Theo Panagiotoulias has said. Air India and Lufthansa are part of the Star Alliance, whose 26 member airlines come together at more than 50 global hubs to offer smooth connections across a global network. A management company, based in Frankfurt and Singapore, coordinates Star Alliance projects and activities. It includes airport co-location, digital infrastructure, frequent flyer integration and joint business lounge projects to improve the travel experience. Talking to PTI on the sidelines of IATA annual general meeting in Dubai this week, Panagiotoulias was bullish about the prospects in the Indian market that offers "so much of opportunities". "The alliance is to bring the partners together to provide a unique value proposition...

Delhi HC asks SpiceJet to pay Rs 50 cr or face grounding of two engines

Justice Pratibha Singh instructed the SpiceJet counsel to obtain guidance by May 3 regarding the feasible time period for SpiceJet to pay Rs 50 crore to its lessors

India among top 5 developing countries in aviation emissions in 2019: Study

In 2019, India was among the top five economically developing countries in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from aviation, a new research has found. Calculating "nearly real-time" aviation emissions using global flight data, researchers found that overall, the US, China and Great Britain were the topmost contributors, with 22 per cent, 14 per cent and roughly four per cent share. However, among the economically developing countries, India was found to be the third biggest contributor with close to three per cent share in global CO2 emissions from aviation, following China at 14 per cent and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at more than three per cent. The research team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology also found that India's share in global CO2 emissions from domestic aviation was the third highest at 1.5 per cent. "The countries with the highest absolute domestic aviation CO2 emissions (global percentage share in total CO2 aviation emissions in parenthese

IndiGo world's third largest airline by mcap as shares hit record high

In December 2023, IndiGo airline surpassed United to become the sixth largest airline in the world

Fly91 to operate first commercial flight from Goa to Bengaluru on March 18

DGCA has given the air operator permit to Fly91 on March 6

'Scarred' and 'egregious': Global lessors frustrated by Go First case

Lombardi noted that the process of reclaiming planes has shown gradual improvement since the bankruptcy of Kingfisher Airlines, through Jet Airways' insolvency, and onward

Flying high: Big spike in airfares, demand for hotels during Holi week

Holi falls on March 25 this year, whereas it was celebrated on March 8 last year

Boeing 'undoubtedly' making progress on quality issues: Avolon CEO

Boeing has been under fire from regulators and airlines over a succession of quality issues that have snagged production and development timelines

Financiers grapple with plane shortage issue amid Boeing MAX crisis

For months, aviation has been struggling to keep pace with a post-pandemic travel boom amid labour and parts shortages

Here's what airlines, regulators are doing about Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s move comes after the aircraft had been grounded since a mid-air blowout on an Alaska Airlines jet on Jan. 5