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Six months after the AI-171 plane crash, the B J Medical College hostel complex in Ahmedabad stands as a haunting reminder, with its charred walls and burnt trees replacing the once lively chatter of students with an eerie stillness. Scattered across the crash site are grim remnants of daily life - burnt cars and motorcycles, twisted beds and furniture, charred books, clothes and personal belongings. The Atulyam-4 hostel building and the adjoining canteen complex stand abandoned, with entry strictly prohibited. For residents near the site, memories of the incident still linger, casting a lasting shadow on their lives, with some of them saying they are still afraid to look up at the sky when an aircraft passes overhead. On June 12, Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed moments after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 persons. The aircraft slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Meghanina
Six major domestic airlines have employed 13,989 pilots, with Air India and its low-cost arm, Air India Express, having 6,350 and 1,592 pilots respectively and IndiGo having 5,085 cockpit crew, Parliament was informed on Monday. The number of pilots at Akasa is 466 and at SpiceJet, it is 385, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. The government-run Alliance Air has employed 111 pilots, he added. The minister said the rate of employment among qualified pilots is dependent on market forces. He said the rationale behind airlines hiring foreign pilots, inter alia, is the requirement of a specific type-rated pilot in light of fleet expansions and time-bound operational requirements. Mohol also said the flying training organisations (FTOs) are continuously upgrading their aircraft fleet by regularly inducting training aircraft fleets. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has facilitated the induction o
Five days after the IndiGo flight disruptions that left thousands of passengers stranded at airports pan-India, Tata Group-owned Air India on Saturday said it has taken several measures to "help" fliers, including introducing a special waiver on change or cancellation fees on eligible domestic bookings. It also said Air India, along with its subsidiary Air India Express, has "proactively" capped economy airfares on non-stop domestic flights from December 4 to prevent the usual demand-supply dynamics applied by automated revenue management systems. It also said both carriers are also in the process of ensuring compliance with the latest directive on airfare caps announced by the Civil Aviation Ministry on Saturday. To provide greater flexibility, Air India and Air India Express have introduced a special waiver on change or cancellation fees on eligible domestic bookings, the airline said. With this, customers who booked their flights with either carrier until December 4 for travel .
Air India Group is looking to add capacity to help passengers impacted by the IndiGo flight disruptions. "Since 4 December, economy class airfares on non-stop domestic flights have been proactively capped to prevent the usual demand-and-supply mechanism being applied by revenue management systems," a statement said on Saturday. Both Air India and Air India Express have put in place caps on economy class fares. The statement from Air India came hours after the government announced introduction of airfare caps amid IndiGo flight disruptions. Air India also said it is not technically possible to cap fares for all flight permutations. "Air India and Air India Express are seeking to add capacity to help travellers and their baggage reach their destinations as quickly as possible," the statement said.
The civil aviation ministry on Monday said all probable causes leading to the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in June are being investigated and emphasised that the preliminary probe report contains factual information based on the evidence available at that point in time. A total of 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew members, died when a London Gatwick-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12. Only one passenger survived. The plane was operating the flight AI171. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the fatal accident, came out with its preliminary report on July 12. Certain concerns have been raised regarding the probe in certain quarters. The preliminary report contains factual information based on the evidence available at that point in time. The investigation is in progress. All probable causes leading to the accident are being investigated, Minister of State for Civil Aviation ...
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Saturday said Air India, which is undergoing a transformation, is not just a business opportunity but a "responsibility" for the Tata Group. The aviation sector faces continous challenges, he said and added that the global supply chain issues make availability of parts, infrastructure and new fleet pretty unpredictable. "Every plan that you have is becoming difficult because of the situations that you face in this area," he said. Chandrasekaran also mentioned that the aviation is a very capital intensive business and also the margins are thin. At an event in the city to celebrate the 121st birth anniversary of J R D Tata, Chandrasekaran said, "I firmly believe for the Tata Group, Air India is just not a business opportunity. It's a responsibility". Tatas acquired loss-making Air India along with Air India Express in January 2022, and since then, the group has been working on an ambitious five-year transformation plan. However, the progress ha