Air India

Air India, AI Express extend Saudi flight curbs till Nov 14 amid tensions

Air India and Air India Express have extended flight suspensions to Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam until November 14 amid escalating West Asia tensions, offering affected passengers rebooking or refunds.

IndiGo, Air India break ranks with foreign carriers on Navi Mumbai shift

IndiGo and Air India Group plan to shift about a third of their international flights to Navi Mumbai airport as foreign carriers continue to oppose the proposed relocation

Air India and AI Express cancel Riyadh, Dammam flights till Nov 7

Air India and Air India Express on Saturday extended the cancellation of their flights connecting Riyadh and Dammam till November 7, while services to Jeddah will remain suspended till October 31. IndiGo and Akasa Air have also cancelled their services to Saudi Arabian cities amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the region and attacks at airports in the Gulf country. "In view of the prevailing situation in the region, Air India and Air India Express flights to and from Riyadh and Dammam will remain suspended until 7 November 2026, while services to and from Jeddah will remain suspended until 31 October 2026," Air India said in a post on X. The airline said passengers holding confirmed bookings issued on or before October 24 may avail flexible rebooking options or opt for a full refund upon cancellation of their bookings. Earlier, the two airlines cancelled their services to Saudi Arabia till October 24. IndiGo on Saturday said that after a careful assessment, flights to and fr

Air India, IndiGo, AAIB to appear before parliamentary panel on Nov 2

Representatives of Air India, Indigo and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) are among those who will appear before a Parliamentary panel on November 2 in connection with the review of the performance of civil aviation sector central public sector undertakings. The 22-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Undertakings is headed by BJP MP Baijayant Panda. Discussions with the representatives of Air India Limited (Air India) and InterGlobe Aviation Ltd (Indigo) will take place on November 2 in connection with the examination of the subject 'Review of Performance of Civil Aviation Sector CPSUs', according to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. On the same day, the representatives of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) will also appear before the committee in connection with the same matter. Meanwhile, several economists will appear before the joint committee examining the simultaneous po

Air India extends cancellation of Saudi Arabia flights till October 20

Air India on Friday said it has extended the cancellation of flights to Saudi Arabia till October 20 amid escalating tensions in the region due to the attacks on the Gulf country by Houthis. Earlier, the airline as well as Air India Express had cancelled flights to Saudi Arabia till October 17. "In view of the evolving situation in Saudi Arabia, all Air India flights to and from Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah stand cancelled until 20 October 2026," Air India said in a post on X. The airline also said it was closely monitoring developments and continuously assessing the situation to ensure the safe resumption of operations. "Passengers affected by these cancellations are being offered a full refund," it added. IndiGo, on Thursday, announced extending the cancellation of flights to Saudi Arabia till October 24. On Thursday, Akasa Air said that in view of the prevailing security situation in the Middle East, it has extended the suspension of all flights to and from Riyadh until October 2

Air India sets up panel to identify cost-saving opportunities across units

Air India has set up a dedicated team to identify cost-saving opportunities and tightened spending approvals as CEO Tewolde Gebremariam pushes for greater accountability amid rising costs

Air India Frankfurt-Delhi flight diverted to Jaipur after bomb threat

An Air India aircraft from Frankfurt to Delhi was diverted to Jaipur on Wednesday morning following a bomb threat, according to sources. The flight AI2030, operated with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, made an emergency landing at the Jaipur International Airport and was taken to an isolation bay for security checks, the sources said. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Malviya Nagar, Shiv Dayal told PTI that airport authorities had informed police about the emergency landing of the Frankfurt-Delhi flight following a bomb threat. Further details are awaited, he said. Police sources said security personnel were checking the aircraft in the isolation bay. One of the sources citing initial information said the pilot pressed 'Squawk Code 7500', which indicates unlawful interference, when the aircraft was in the Mumbai Flight Information Region (FIR). Subsequently, the plane was diverted to Jaipur, the source added. Details about the number of passengers onboard the aircraft could not be ...

Air India CCTO Nipun Aggarwal flags 'very low' utilisation at 120 airports

Air India CCTO Nipun Aggarwal says 120 of India's 160 airports remain underutilised, calling for stronger regional connectivity, smaller aircraft and more affordable air travel

Akasa Air overtakes SpiceJet, but can it survive India's aviation duopoly?

Akasa Air has pushed out SpiceJet to tack on to India's aviation duopoly as a distant third

Airspace curbs impact on Air India worse than last year: Report

Air India faces longer flight routes, higher fuel costs and additional expenses as airspace restrictions linked to the Middle East conflict worsen the impact of Pakistan's airspace closure.

Air India offers students 10% off domestic fares until Oct 20: How to save

Students can save on domestic base fares, with additional baggage allowance and a complimentary date change available through Air India's year-round student programme

Air India, Air India Express, Akasa raise fuel surcharges after IndiGo move

Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air have raised or introduced fuel surcharges from October 9 as airlines seek to offset higher aviation turbine fuel prices amid the West Asia conflict

Air India to offer physical SIM, eSIM for passengers travelling abroad

Air India will offer travel SIM cards to passengers for their overseas trips. EasyRoam, an Air India-branded travel SIM card that offers international roaming services, has been developed in partnership with Tata Communications. The ancillary product will be available for purchase as a physical SIM card as well as eSIM on a dedicated Air India-branded webpage, the airline said in a release on Thursday. With the card, passengers will be able to access voice and data services during international travel. Air India and Tata Communications are part of the Tata Group. Initially, the SIM card will be provided free of cost while roaming pack charges will apply. It will be available for 30 countries across North America, Europe (including the UK), Australia, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, the release said.

Air India, Singapore Airlines announce expansion of commercial cooperation

Air India and Singapore Airlines on Wednesday announced an expansion of their commercial cooperation to provide more flight options for travellers between India and Singapore. The expansion is part of the initiatives under the Commercial Cooperation Framework Agreement inked in January this year. From October 15, both airlines will offer travellers a wider range of itinerary and flight options through their respective booking channels. "This covers 126 weekly flights between Singapore and eight Indian cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, and Mumbai," Air India said in a release on Wednesday. At present, an eligible Air India-operated codeshare flight booked through SIA must include an SIA-operated flight, and vice versa. This requirement will be removed from October 15, allowing travellers to book eligible flights between India and Singapore operated by either airline on a standalone basis through each other's booking channels. Currently, an ..

Airlines warn govt of route cuts as soaring ATF costs squeeze finances

Airlines seek changes in ATF pricing and taxes, lower state VAT and extended relief on airport charges as the West Asia conflict drives up operating costs

Federation of Indian Airlines seeks review of existing ATF pricing formula

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) is seeking a review of the existing jet fuel pricing formula, and said domestic ATF should be priced on the actual cost of fuel plus a reasonable margin rather than international benchmark pricing. The unprecedented increase in fuel costs, compounded by geopolitical disruptions and rupee depreciation, is placing significant pressure on airline cash flows and viability, it said. In a letter to the Civil Aviation Ministry late last month, FIA also said that "if timely relief is not available, the airlines may be compelled to withdraw from several unsustainable routes." Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet are the members of FIA. From around 30-40 per cent, airlines' operating costs have increased to around 55-60 per cent under the prevailing circumstances, out of which ATF remains the single largest variable cost, it said. The current conflict (West Asia) has pushed the Brent Crude from USD 72 / BBL to USD 118 / BBL, and the resultant ATF price (MOP

Thiruvananthapuram to get direct AI Express flights to Riyadh, Bahrain

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will get direct Air India Express services to Riyadh and Bahrain from October 27, further expanding its connectivity with the Gulf region. Air India Express will commence direct services to Riyadh and Bahrain from October 27, 2026, with bookings now open, the airport said in a statement here on Saturday. The new Riyadh service will address the long-standing demand for direct air connectivity between Thiruvananthapuram and the Saudi Arabian capital, offering greater convenience to passengers travelling between Kerala and Saudi Arabia, it said. The Riyadh service will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, complementing the existing daily Air India Express services to Dammam. The new Bahrain service will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays, further strengthening connectivity to Bahrain, which is already served by daily Gulf Air flights from Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram currently has more than 25

Why India wants a Xinjiang air corridor and what could stand in its way

India is exploring a Hotan corridor through China to cut flight time and costs, but airspace rights, rugged terrain and limited diversion options pose major hurdles

Safety, reliability, profitability our priorities: Incoming Air India chief

Incoming CEO and MD Tewolde Gebremariam calls for a stronger safety-reporting culture, better disruption recovery and sharper focus on revenues and costs

Air India's CEO-designate pitches for cost discipline, sustainable profits

Air India's incoming CEO Tewolde Gebremariam on Monday emphasised the need to improve financial performance and announced plans to introduce programmes that will reward staff who come up with ideas to bring down cost. Asserting that achieving sustainable profitability remains a key objective, Gebremariam said cost discipline must become part of the airline's culture. "Cost management is not just the responsibility of leadership or the finance function. Every employee can contribute to savings, and those savings add up across an organisation of our scale," he said at a townhall. Gebremariam, who has been appointed as the CEO and MD of the loss-making Tata Group-owned airline, will take charge after receiving requisite security approvals. In his second interaction with the employees in recent weeks, Gebremariam said the airline plans to introduce programmes that reward ideas that generate measurable cost savings and operational efficiencies. According to him, a combination of extern