Explore Business Standard
Airlines
With sharp rise in fuel costs as well as tight capacity and thin margins for airlines, airfares are already rising in the wake of the Middle East war, global airlines' grouping IATA said on Tuesday. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents around 350 airlines, including Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, and SpiceJet. On Tuesday, the grouping released the data for global passenger demand in February 2026 and said total demand in terms of Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK) rose 6.1 per cent last month compared to the year-ago period. Total capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased 5.6 per cent year-on-year while the passenger load factor stood at 81.4 per cent, the highest February figure on record, it said in a release. IATA Director General Willie Walsh said with an RPK expansion of 6.1 per cent, February was a strong month, showing that the fundamentals for demand growth were in place for a positive year. "However, without knowing t
Pilots' body ALPA India on Tuesday asked its members to ensure that airline operators carry out "appropriate operational risk assessments" before planning flights in or near conflict-affected areas. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) India, in an advisory to all pilots under an Indian licence, said that the pilots must remain aware that the risk environment in conflict-affected areas can change rapidly and without adequate warning. The advisory has come amid the escalating war in West Asia, involving the US, Israel and Iran, which has led to cancellations of a number of flights due to airspace closures since February 28. The pilots' body said that members are advised to take note of the potential implications related to aviation insurance coverage, particularly with respect to war-risk clauses. Under certain circumstances, insurance providers may withdraw or limit coverage for operations conducted in designated conflict zones or high-risk airspaces, it said. ALPA India is an .
The CEOs of the nation's top airline companies, including American, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue, are imploring Congress to restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security and embrace a bipartisan solution to pay federal aviation workers including airport security officers during the partial government shutdown. "Once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown," the executives wrote in an open letter to Congress that was published Sunday online and in The Washington Post. The letter, which was also signed by the CEOs of the cargo companies UPS, FedEx and Atlas Air, said that Congress should pass the Aviation Funding Solvency Act and the Aviation Funding Stability Act, which would guarantee air traffic controllers are paid regardless of the government's funding status, as well as the Keep America Flying Act. That measure would offer the same protections to Transportation Security Administration officers tasked to provide security and to screen
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Friday said a study is being conducted with the assistance of global aviation body ICAO to look into solutions that can address issues related to height restrictions for buildings around airports. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and currently, there are 165 airports. Another 50 airports are projected to come up in the next five years While real estate development is gaining momentum, height restrictions are in place for buildings around airports to ensure safe flight operations. Against this backdrop, the minister mentioned the study while addressing the gathering at the National Urban and Real Estate Development Conclave 2026 organised by real estate industry body Naredco in the national capital. While the civil aviation sector is growing continuously, Naidu said the challenge is the height restrictions for buildings around the airports, especially in metros like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.
The cumulative loss of Indian airlines stood at Rs 5,289.73 crore in the last financial year, with Air India Group alone accounting for Rs 9,808.12 crore of the total loss, according to official data. Out of the 11 operators, 4 had reported profit -- IndiGo, Blue Dart, Star Air and IndiaOne Air. The data was provided as part of a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol. In 2024-25, Air India and Air India Express recorded a loss of Rs 3,975.75 crore and Rs 5,832.37 crore, respectively while Akasa Air reported a loss of Rs 1,986.25 crore. State-owned Alliance Air's loss was at Rs 691.12 crore and that of SpiceJet stood at Rs 55.67 crore in the last fiscal. Other loss-making operators were Fly91 (Rs 67.65 crore) and Quikjet Cargo (Rs 1.34 crore). IndiGo raked in a profit of Rs 7,253.30 crore and other profitable entities were Star Air (Rs 68.75 crore), Blue Dart (Rs 0.71 crore) and IndiaOne Air (Rs 0.33 crore). All these f
India's commercial aircraft fleet will triple in size to 2,250 aircraft over the next decade, as the country grows to become the third-largest civil aviation market in the world by 2035, a senior official of the aircraft maker Airbus said on Thursday. Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of Wings India 2026, Jurgen Westermeier, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia said the fleet expansion is driven both by the Indian aviation market boom and the Indian airlines' ambition to expand on international routes. Passengers traffic in India will grow at 8.9 per cent per annum by 2035, the fastest among the major economies and well above the long term global average, he further said.