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The Supreme Court on Friday said there should be some rationalisation of airfares and asked the Centre to provide relief to flyers. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta flagged that on the same day, one airline flying in the same sector charges a particular airfare while other charges a different airfare. "Try to give some relief to the people because of the discrepancy. On the same day, flights to the same sector, one airline charges Rs 8000 while the other airline charges Rs 18000 for the economy class," the bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre. Justice Mehta said, "There should be some rationalisation (of airfares)" after the solicitor general said that a new enactment of 2024 has come into effect and the corresponding rules are in the process of consultation. Mehta said the government was not disputing the problem and is treating the issue as non-adversarial and considering all aspects. The bench was hearing a plea filed by social ..
Air India has terminated more than 1,000 staff in the last three years for ethical breaches, including those for misusing the employee leisure travel system, according to the airline's chief Campbell Wilson. Flagging that hundreds of employees are terminated every year due to non-compliance, Wilson has also emphasised that the staff need to act in the right way even when others are not looking. As Air India implements cost-saving measures amid significant financial headwinds, Wilson made the remarks during the town hall meeting with the staff on Friday, according to sources. Tata Group-owned Air India has around 24,000 employees now. The airline's CEO and MD said that over the past three years, "we have terminated more than 1,000 people for ethical breach" such as smuggling things off the plane and allowing excess baggage onto the aircraft without being charged. He also mentioned hundreds of staff who had misused the Employee Leisure Travel (ELT) system and added that such things
Air India expects to complete retrofitting of seven more legacy Boeing 787-8 planes this year as it upgrades the fleet of these aircraft that is key to the airline's long-haul operations. The loss-making carrier, which is in the midst of an ambitious transformation plan, has received the first of its retrofitted legacy Boeing 787-8 plane, which has 250 seats in three class configuration of business, premium economy and economy. The plane landed in the national capital on April 13. Air India's Chief Customer Experience Officer Rajesh Dogra on Sunday said the airline expects to complete retrofitting of a total of eight legacy Boeing 787-8s this year. This includes the plane that landed on April 13. On Sunday, the airline unveiled the retrofitted, twin-aisle B787-8 (VT-ANT) that underwent a nose-to-tail cabin refresh. According to Dogra, 85 per cent of the legacy Boeing 787-8 planes retrofit is expected to be completed by the end of 2027 and retrofitting of all such aircraft is likel
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong will be meeting senior Tata Group executives on Thursday, and both sides are expected to have detailed discussions on loss-making Air India. Goh Choon Phong arrived at the Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tata Group, on Thursday morning. Tata Group acquired Air India from the Indian government in January 2022, and later Singapore Airlines purchased a 25.1 per cent stake in the airline. A source said he would be meeting senior Tata Group executives. Details about his planned meetings with the Tata Group executives could not be immediately ascertained. According to reports, the Singapore Airlines CEO will be meeting Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran. The meeting assumes significance against the backdrop of Air India facing multiple headwinds, including spiralling operating costs due to the airspace curbs in the wake of the West Asia conflict and the closure of Pakistan airspace for nearly a year now. These restrictions have forced the
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
Airlines will start offering at least 60 per cent of seats in a flight without levying any additional charge from April 20, as well as maintain a transparent seat allocation policy, according to aviation watchdog DGCA. On March 18, the civil aviation ministry announced that directions have been issued to the DGCA to direct airlines to allocate a minimum of 60 per cent of seats for selection on any flight free of charge to ensure fair access for passengers. In this regard, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued the amended Air Transport Circular dated March 20. A DGCA official said the circular would come into effect from April 20. The regulator has said that airlines should ensure at least "60 per cent of the seats in any flight shall be offered free of charge". "Airlines should maintain transparent seat allocation policies and clearly communicate the availability of free seats and applicable conditions on their booking interfaces," as per a revised circular dated
Ratings agency ICRA on Friday revised its outlook on the Indian aviation industry to negative from stable, citing disruptions in international airspace following escalation of geopolitical tensions in West Asia. The revision in outlook is also on account of a sharp depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar and an expected increase in jet fuel (ATF) prices, ICRA said. These factors are likely to significantly increase cost pressures for airlines, even as demand growth faces downside risks, it said. The ratings agency said it expects domestic air passenger traffic growth to be at 0-3 per cent for the ongoing fiscal year and international passenger traffic growth for Indian carriers at 7-9 per cent, indicating a relatively weak near-term demand environment. Prior to the West Asian crisis, ICRA had estimated domestic air passenger traffic growth at 6-8 per cent and international traffic growth for Indian carriers at 8-10 per cent for FY27. However, these projections now carry a