Flights

The aircraft landed safely at Cochin International Airport. Passengers on board were unaware of how serious the situation had become

Probe agency AAIB on Friday said the confirmation of drug use by the pilot-in-command of the Air India Phuket-Delhi flight is a "serious concern" and asked the regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to take appropriate action. Issuing the preliminary report on the incident of August 4, wherein the flight, operating with an A320 plane, suddenly lost 300 feet of altitude and left many people injured, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said a detailed probe is underway. "In view of a non-negative result for psychoactive substances for one of the flight crew, it is recommended that DGCA may take appropriate actions as deemed fit to prevent abuse of psychoactive substances," AAIB said in its interim safety recommendation. The flight AI 2379 from Phuket to Delhi was operated with an Airbus A320-251N aircraft bearing registration VTEXO. There were 145 people, including 2 pilots and 6 cabin crew, on board the plane. According to the 10-page preliminary

Air India's UK passenger traffic has fallen faster than capacity since the AI171 crash, highlighting the combined impact of weaker demand, airspace restrictions and geopolitical disruptions

At least 15 flights were diverted at the Delhi airport on Monday due to inclement weather conditions, according to an official. Scores of flights were delayed and some were cancelled at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital due to the bad weather. Rains lashed the national capital and thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph are also expected in parts of the city. The official said 12 flights were diverted to Jaipur, two to Chandigarh and one to Lucknow. IndiGo, in a post on X, said bad weather in the national capital has impacted flight schedules and that the airline was closely monitoring the weather. "Adverse weather conditions may impact flight operations to and from Delhi today," Air India said in a post on X. Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that over 280 services were delayed and more than 20 flights were cancelled at the airport. IGIA handles more than 1,300 flight movements daily.

An Ahmedabad-Navi Mumbai IndiGo flight was diverted to Surat on Monday evening after a three-year-old child fell unconscious on board, a senior airport official said. The child was shifted to a private hospital for treatment after the plane landed at Surat airport. After the flight took off from Ahmedabad, the child's health suddenly deteriorated during the journey, and he lost consciousness. "Sensing the emergency, the pilot informed Air Traffic Control and the flight was diverted to Surat," the senior airport official said. Following the diversion, Surat airport activated its emergency response protocol. The airport medical team, CISF personnel and IndiGo's ground staff were mobilised, he said. After the flight landed at the airport, the medical team boarded the aircraft, administered first aid to the child and shifted him by ambulance to a private hospital for further treatment, the official said. After the medical evacuation, the required technical and operational formalities

Domestic carrier Akasa Air has commenced its flight services to the newly-launched Noida International Airport with its inaugural flight QP2017 departing from Navi Mumbai International Airport on Tuesday morning, linking the Mumbai metropolitan region with Delhi-NCR. Akasa Air flight departed from Navi Mumbai at 7.30 am while the return flight arrived at NMIA at 12.30 pm, a Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) spokesperson said. The airline will operate seven flights a week to the greenfield airport. Commercial flight services at the Noida International Airport commenced on Monday, after a 21-month delay. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the greenfield airport in the Gautambuddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh in November 2021. The facility was inaugurated by PM Modi on March 28 this year. By linking Navi Mumbai's emerging aviation and commercial ecosystem with Noida's fast-growing industrial and business corridor, the service is expected to .

Despite this curtailment, India's largest airline said it has "managed to retain" majority of its international operations, which now stands at over 1,800 weekly international flights

Air India said it has temporarily rationalised domestic flight frequencies between June and August due to high fuel prices linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict

Saudi Arabia's no-frills airline flyadeal will start daily flights between Riyadh and Hyderabad from July 1, marking the commencement of its services to India. A sister company of Saudia Airlines, the Jeddah-based flyadeal has been flying for more than eight years. The flights between Riyadh and Hyderabad, starting from July 1, will be operated with A320 neo aircraft having 186 economy class seats, the carrier said in a release on Tuesday. flyadeal's acting CEO Sanjiv Kapoor said Hyderabad is the first step of the airline's planned expansion into India and added that it would announce flights to a second Indian destination soon. The airline has a fleet of 46 Airbus A320 family aircraft and operates flights from Riyadh, Jeddah, Madinah and Dammam to various destinations. Kapoor, who is also the Executive Vice President, Strategies at Saudia Group, said India is a key part of Saudia Group and flyadeal's long-term strategy. "Our promise of friendly, efficient, low-fare, and on-time

Tata Group-owned carrier suspends seven overseas routes and reduces services across North America, Europe and Asia amid rising fuel costs and airspace restrictions

Air India has suspended six international routes and cut services amid airspace restrictions and soaring jet fuel costs

Several foreign carriers have expanded operations to India

Airlines will be expected to consolidate schedules on certain routes with multipleflightsto the same destinationon the sameday as part of contingency measures the UK government announced on Sunday. The Department for Transport (DfT) issued a series of temporary plans amid ongoing jet fuel supply issues caused by the US-Iran conflict and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. It stressed that while UK airlines say they are not currently facing supply issues, the government is stepping in to protect travellers from the likelihood of last-minute flight cancellations over the upcoming summer holiday period in the event of significant disruption caused by the conflict. "Since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the government has been monitoring jet fuel supplies daily and working with airlines, airports and fuel suppliers to stay ahead of any problems," said UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. "There are no immediate supply issues, but we're preparing now to givefamilies long-term

The incident occurred when one of the aircraft's engines failed and caught fire during the takeoff roll, prompting the crew to stop the aircraft and initiate an emergency evacuation

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which represents top ​carriers IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet, has asked India to push Dubai authorities to lift the curbs

Distance-based charges now apply on domestic flights, with higher surcharges on international routes amid rising jet fuel costs from supply chain disruptions

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

British Airways will operate additional flights from Delhi and Mumbai for a short term to meet the traffic demand amid the disruptions due to the West Asia crisis. From April 7 to May 31, the airline will operate a third daily flight from Delhi to London Heathrow and from Mumbai, it will have a third daily flight to London Heathrow from May 15 to 31, a release said on Thursday. "The airline is adding short-term capacity on these routes to meet strong demand and provide customers with greater choice and flexibility when travelling between India, the UK and beyond," it said. With the additional capacity, British Airways will operate up to 63 weekly flights with more than 1,000 additional seats per week between India and the UK. British Airways' Chief Planning and Strategy Officer Neil Chernoff said the airline has been able to reallocate additional capacity to meet strong demand to other destinations across its route network and that India remains one of its most important global ...

In an internal communication, Scott Kirby outlined the strategy to manage rising costs while sustaining long-term growth and investment plans

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 .