Aviation

An Air India Express aircraft operating its Hyderabad-Phuket (Thailand) flight suffered a nose-wheel issue at Phuket Airport, the airline said on Wednesday. Authorities suspended flight operations at Phuket airport following the incident since the aircraft is stuck on the runway, sources said. The number of passengers onboard the Boeing 737-Max8 aircraft was not immediately known. "We confirm that our Hyderabad-Phuket flight on March 11 experienced an issue with the nose wheel at Phuket Airport," Air India Express said in a statement. Nose wheel is a critical component of an aircraft's landing gear system. Flight IX 938 took off from Hyderabad at 6.42 am instead of its scheduled departure time of 6.20 am, and landed at Phuket International Airport 11.40 am local time, according to flight tracking website flightradar24.com. "The crew followed all standard protocols, and guests were deplaned," Air India Express said in the statement.

The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the proposal to declare Madurai airport as an international airport. Madurai is a prominent city in Tamil Nadu, and Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the decision was taken keeping in view the aspirations of the people of Madurai. Briefing media persons about the Cabinet decisions, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister said that the policy decision to declare Madurai airport as an international airport will help bring air connectivity from various parts of the world to the temple city, and there is a huge industrial cluster around it. The decision would also strengthen the city's role as an educational and healthcare hub, he said. Vaishnaw said multiple airlines have shown interest in expanding their international flights from the airport. Madurai airport is one of the oldest airports in Tamil Nadu. Elevating Madurai airport to an international status would enhance regional connectivity, promote trade, and drive economic development in

The airline said on March 7 that it would restart its Europe operations as airlines gradually restored schedules following disruptions caused by the evolving situation in West Asia

Chief Flight Operations Inspector, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Shweta Singh, said that they provide training to girls to maintain equilibrium between professional demands and personal life

ACAAI urges Civil Aviation Ministry to direct cargo terminal operators to waive demurrage as export consignments remain stranded due to West Asia airspace curbs

Air India Express MD Aloke Singh will exit on 19 March after steering the airline through privatisation, a merger with AirAsia India, a four-fold fleet expansion and a major brand overhaul

In an X post, the MoCA stated that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is in complete coordination with the airlines to ensure passenger safety and operational regulations

In 2024-25, commercial aircraft, fighter jets, and helicopters accounted for the largest share of India's overall aviation fleet

DGCA has revamped airline ticketing rules, adding a 48-hour free cancellation window, capping fees, tightening refund timelines and introducing passenger-friendly provisions for emergencies

Air India operated more than 17,500 flights in January and recorded 23 technical incidents on its international and domestic flights, according to the document

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the Ministry of Civil Aviation was actively considering the issues raised in a PIL which sought regulatory guidelines to control the unpredictable fluctuations in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, which termed the issue as "serious", granted four weeks to the Centre for the conclusion of the deliberations on the issue flagged in the public interest litigation (PIL). "This is a very serious concern. Otherwise, we don't entertain 32 petitions," the bench said. Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Anil Kaushik said that they need at least three weeks to file their response on the PIL as the concerned ministry is actively considering the issues raised in the petition. The bench, which recorded that the issues have been taken note by the ministry, posted the matter for further hearing on March 23. On January 19, the top court said it wo

Akasa Air Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer Praveen Iyer will step down at end-April; CIO Anand Srinivasan to take over as CCO amid leadership reshuffle

A brief US ban on jet engine exports left Comac far short of its C919 delivery targets, showing China's dependence on GE-Safran engines amid trade tensions

Civil aviation MoS Murlidhar Mohol said black box data from the crashed Learjet is under analysis and a preliminary report is expected soon

DGCA says inspections found no issue with fuel control switches on an Air India Boeing 787-8 after pilots flagged abnormal movement during engine start in London

Elbers said swift corrective measures helped stabilise operations within nine days, as the airline resumed carrying nearly 3.7-3.8 lakh passengers daily

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said multiple trade pressures had already 'caused significant collateral damage, logistically and financially'

DGCA has proposed tighter experience norms and refresher training for pilot examiners, while easing age limits, tenure rules and monitoring requirements

According to the DGCA, overoptimising operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, and deficiencies in system-software support were among the primary reasons for the disruption

No cancellations due to upgrade; airport currently handles about 1,400-1,500 aircraft movements per day