Aviation

Akasa Air and Air India Express, the key operators of Boeing 737 planes in India, on Friday said their fleets are not impacted by the US aviation watchdog FAA's directive for inspection of these jets for possible fuselage cracks. Apart from Akasa Air and Air India Express, SpiceJet also operates the narrow-body Boeing 737 aircraft, but the airline did not comment on the impact of the directive. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for certain Boeing 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 aircraft. There were reports of cracks in the bearing strap at the forward upper corner of the forward galley door cutout of the aircraft. The directive requires an inspection of the fuselage skin for existing repairs and applicable on-condition actions, according to the watchdog. In a statement, a Boeing spokesperson said it identified and reported this issue and has been working with operators on it over the past six years. Since 2021, there have been

Air India on Wednesday announced the appointment of former Ethiopian Airlines Group chief Tewolde Gebremariam as the next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He will replace Campbell Wilson, who announced his resignation in April this year. In a release, Air India said it rigorously evaluated internal as well as highly accomplished external candidates from across the world before deciding on Gebremariam. The appointment comes at a crucial time when the loss-making Air India is working on expansion amid multiple external headwinds. Gebremariam has served as the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, where he spearheaded a multi-billion-dollar expansion, transforming a regional carrier into Africa's largest and most profitable airline, the release said.

The government on Monday said that 352 significant technical defects were reported in domestic and international flight operations this year till June. Out of the total, 334 significant defects were related to domestic flight operations and the remaining pertained to international services, according to data provided by the civil aviation ministry to the Rajya Sabha. The data was provided by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a written reply. As many as 334 defects were related to domestic services and 18 pertained to international flights. The minister did not disclose specific details about the defects. Among the 352 "significant defects" during the given period, 152 pertained to flight operations of Akasa Air, 53 related to Air India Express and 47 pertained to IndiGo flights, the data showed. In the case of Air India and SpiceJet, the number of such defects was 46 and 9, respectively. during their flight operations. As per the data, Star Air reported 29 .

Despite the charge ​and larger-than-expected loss, Boeing's share price rose by 4% in midday trading, as investors appeared to respond to steady, continued progress ​in improving production

Draft civil aviation policy aims to strengthen tourism, cargo and industrial growth by expanding airport infrastructure, logistics networks and international air connectivity

Higher fuel and leasing costs pushed IndiGo into a Q1 loss, but brokerages remain positive on the airline's long-term growth driven by strong demand and international expansion

Aircraft fuel expenses rose 85.7 per cent to ₹10,832.9 crore and accounted for 44.1 per cent of revenue, up from 28.5 per cent in the year-ago quarter

Government is considering relaxing ownership rules that could allow airport operators such as Adani Group and GMR Airports to own airlines, aiming to boost competition in the domestic aviation market

Air India has revamped its mobile application with new features that will help with quicker responses to travellers as well as allow deployment of India-specific innovations in the payment system. The main enhancements in the app pertain to assistance during flight disruptions, payment system updates and in-house internet booking engine, according to Air India. The enhanced mobile app would provide greater ease of booking and allow the airline to respond more quickly to the needs of the customers, the airline's Chief Digital and Technology Officer Satya Ramaswamy told PTI. In a release on Thursday, Air India said the app has been downloaded nearly 17 million times and serves over 1,00,000 users daily. In case of flight disruptions, support would be provided to the passengers with the hotel accommodation and transportation assistance contextually from the home screen, the airline said. The in-house internet booking engine will offer a faster and responsive user interface. "Payment

French company Simaero, which has set up its simulator training facility in India, plans to tap the country's local engineering talent in the specialised areas of simulator engineering and technology services. In a recent interview with PTI, Simaero's CEO Nicolas Moute said the company's long-term vision was to build a centre of excellence for aviation training that serves not only India but the wider South Asian region. "We are very optimistic about India. Every market has its challenges, but we see far more opportunities than obstacles," he said, adding that the company does not see any barriers that would prevent it from expanding its presence in the country. At the training facility in Gurugram, Haryana, the company recently launched its first Airbus A320 neo simulator and expects to add one or two more simulators in the near term, based on customer demand. "We could possibly expect to add a Boeing or regional ATR aircraft simulator. However, it would depend on our client's ...

ICRA has raised its FY27 airline loss estimate to Rs 36,000-38,000 crore and cut traffic growth forecasts, citing higher ATF prices, a weaker rupee and lease costs

Wilson was referring to the network rationalisation Air India undertook because of the West Asia conflict, which started on February 28 when Israel and the US attacked Iran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Hub and Spoke international flights model will reduce travel time for passengers as well as being regions of India closer to global opportunities. The Hub and Spoke model seeks to enable seamless connectivity between Tier-II and Tier-III airports with international destinations. Under this model, Air India on Thursday launched flight operations from Varanasi that will connect passengers to various overseas cities through Delhi. Describing the launch of the first Hub and Spoke international flight operations as a historic milestone, Modi said better international connectivity creates new opportunities for trade, tourism, investment, education and business. "It enables people from smaller cities to access global destinations through a single, integrated journey while also supporting the movement of goods and services. This will contribute to regional development and strengthen India's economic growth," he said in a message. The message

The government has launched the first service under the hub-and-spoke model; here's how the system works and what it could mean for travellers from smaller cities

Following the incident, the flight crew carried out all mandatory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as per safety protocol

AI, semiconductors, FTAs and airport expansion will reshape India's logistics sector, creating new growth avenues, says Blue Dart's Balfour Manuel

India setting up the ATF price stabilisation fund is a very good solution to address the problem of higher jet fuel costs being faced by the domestic airlines, a senior IATA executive has said. While mentioning that the current jet fuel scenario globally is unprecedented in terms of the cost impact, Hemant Mistry, Director Energy Transition at IATA, cautioned that if the situation continues, there would have to be more flight reductions. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents over 370 airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express and SpiceJet. The grouping accounts for around 85 per cent of the global air traffic. Mistry said the jet fuel situation in terms of cost impact is unprecedented. "If the situation continues, there will have to be more demand destruction... that is the only way to manage the situation, it is an extreme situation," he told PTI. Demand destruction broadly refers to a reduction in flights amid rising operational costs, drive

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has set aside insolvency proceedings against Ligare Aviation Ltd, holding that the NCLT erred in admitting the plea filed by Religare Enterprises without properly examining the nature of the underlying transactions, which was "only round tripping of money" and not "any genuine financial transaction". In a strongly worded order, the appellate tribunal said the material on record "clearly proves" that there was no financial debt disbursed by the financial creditor (Religare Enterprises) to the corporate debtor (Ligare Aviation) for consideration of the time value of money, a key requirement under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Allowing appeals filed by Daiichi Sankyo Company, a Japanese global pharmaceutical company and a shareholder, NCLAT observed that the transactions in question were merely a "round tripping of money/layering of money" undertaken for "some undisclosed fraudulent purposes" and did not create any financia

Chief Financial Officer Shane Tackett said fuel markets had become less volatile in recent weeks, but prices were still moving by about 5% over a couple of days

Government says energy supplies, aviation services and maritime operations remain stable as evacuation efforts continue and Gulf connectivity gradually improves