Page 33 - Air India

Ammunition cartridges found in seat pocket of Dubai-Delhi Air India flight

The flight landed at New Delhi Airport on October 27 and all the passengers were safely disembarked from the flight

Air India to deploy A350 planes on ultra-long-haul routes for Delhi-NY

Private carrier Air India on Friday commenced Airbus A350 services on ultra-long-haul routes with the deployment of the aircraft on the Delhi-New York route. This comes at a time when the Tata-Group run carrier has temporarily cancelled some 60 flights to various US destinations between November 15 and December 31 on account of the non-availability of some of its widebody planes due to maintenance and supply chain issues. Following the introduction of the A350-900 aircraft on the Delhi-New York flight, Air India said it will start a five times a-week A350 service from Delhi to Newark's Liberty International Airport from January 2 next year. Air India currently has six Airbus A350-900 aircraft in its fleet. Generally, ultra-long-haul flights are those having a duration of 16 hours or more. Air India operates such flights to North America. The loss-making Air India had inducted the first A350-900 in the fleet in December last year. Following this, the airline initially deployed the

Air India cancels 60 India-US flights in Nov-Dec citing aircraft shortage

Non-availability of aircraft due to maintenance issues has forced Tata Group-owned Air India to cancel some 60 flights on the India-US routes between November and December this year, according to an airline source. The flights, which have been cancelled during the peak travel period, include services to San Francisco and Chicago, among others, the source said. Air India, in a statement, said it has cancelled a "small" number of flights between November and December on account of delayed return of some aircraft from heavy maintenance and supply chain constraints, without naming the destinations. It also said that affected customers have been "informed" and offered flights on other Air India group services operating on the same or adjacent days. "Air India has cancelled some 60 flights to and from San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Newark and New York between November 15 and December 31, as it does not have adequate wide-body aircraft to operate some of the flights to these ...

Air India's Delhi-Indore-Mumbai flight gets hoax bomb threat; FIR lodged

A message claiming a bomb had been placed on Air India's flight from Delhi to Mumbai via Indore was posted on a social media platform which later turned out to be a hoax, police said on Wednesday. The Indore police in Madhya Pradesh have registered a case in this connection against an unidentified person, they said. The "threatening message" that a pipe bomb was placed in Air India's flight AI 636 was posted on an X social media account at 5.08 pm on Tuesday, an Aerodrome police station officer said quoting a complaint by a local official of the airline. The flight, arriving from Delhi, had already left for Mumbai from Indore at 4.38 pm, he said. "The message about a pipe bomb being placed in the Air India flight was proved to be fake in our investigation," Deputy Commissioner of Police Vinod Kumar Meena told PTI. A case was registered against the unidentified person who posted the threatening message on social media under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 351 (4) (criminal intimida

Air India suspends 10 crew members amid protest over revised layover policy

Ahead of its scheduled merger with Vistara in November, Air India introduced a new layover policy for cabin crew requiring some to share rooms during layovers, effective December 1

Over 60 flights get bomb threats on Monday; 410 hoax calls in last 15 days

More than 60 flights of Indian carriers received bomb threats on Monday, sources said. In 15 days, over 410 domestic and international flights operated by the Indian carriers have received hoax bomb threats. Most of the threats were issued through social media. The sources in the know said around 21 flights each of Air India and IndiGo, and about 20 flights of Vistara received the threats on Monday. An Air India spokesperson said a number of its flights were subject to security threats received on social media on Monday. "Following the laid down protocols, relevant authorities were immediately alerted, and all security procedures strictly adhered to, as per guidance from the regulatory authorities," the spokesperson said in a statement. Meanwhile, against the backdrop of a spate of hoax bomb threats to airlines, the IT Ministry has asked social media platforms to observe due diligence obligations and promptly remove or disable access to misinformation within the strict timelines .

Air India gets DGCA nod to perform in-house changes to aircraft interiors

Air India has received aviation regulator DGCA's approval to carry out modifications in aircraft interiors in-house as the Tata Group-owned airline works on revamping its fleet and expanding operations. The full-service carrier has a collaboration with Tata Technologies to enhance aircraft interiors in its fleet. In a release on Monday, Air India said the Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will enable the airline to independently make design changes in-house and implement modifications to its aircraft interiors more efficiently. "DOA is a transformative step towards enhancing Air India's in-house capabilities, which has been bolstered by decisions to set up its own engineering, maintenance and training facilities. This will enhance operational efficiency and make the airline more self-reliant," it added. An official said the approval will also allow Air India to offer the services to other Indian airlines in the future. Air Ind

AICCA terms Air India's new room-sharing policy illegal, seeks intervention

The All India Cabin Crew Association has termed Tata Group-owned Air India's room-sharing policy for a section of cabin crew members as "illegal, bad in law, and Void ab initio on multiple fronts." The association has requested intervention from the Labour Ministry, urging it to stall the move. The association is seeking these entitlements hotel accommodation and conditions of accommodation in line with the policy on accommodation for pilots, as per the previous agreements and tribunal awards. The association has also written to Air India Chief Campbell Wilson, urging him "not to violate" the existing status quo, and respect the sanctity of the Industrial Tribunal and the pending Industrial dispute over the issue. Under the new policy effective December 1, members will be required to share rooms during layovers except for cabin executives and those operating ultra-long-haul flights ahead of the merger of Vistara with it, scheduled for November 11. Cabin crew members on ...

Vistara-Air India merger: How these two distinct brands will blend

Experts say the merged entity will draw on USPs of both firms

Ahead of Vistara merger, Air India finalises revised policy for cabin crew

Ahead of the Vistara merger, Air India has finalised a revised policy for cabin crew members wherein layover allowances have been hiked and members will have to share rooms during layovers except for cabin executives, and those operating ultra-long haul flights. The revised policy has been prepared after taking into consideration the feedback of cabin crew members. Earlier, the policy had proposed room sharing for cabin crew members irrespective of whether the flight is normal, long haul or ultra long haul. The allowance for international layovers will be increased from USD 85-135 per layover night from USD 75-100, according to an internal communication of the airline. Under the new policy, cabin crew members will have to share rooms during layovers. However, cabin crew members of ultra-long haul flights will get single rooms during layovers as well as during unscheduled layovers in the event of a flight diversion, as per the internal communication. Generally, ultra-long haul flig

Vistara planes to replace Air India's on metro-to-metro routes after merger

Vistara will be merged into Air India on November 11. However, the duty rosters of cabin crew members of Air India and Vistara will continue to remain different for some time

Safety fears rise for Indian airlines as over 70 flights get bomb threats

With the latest threats, nearly 250 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats in just over 10 days

Air India, SIA expand codeshare agreement; add 40 int'l, 11 Indian cities

Air India and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have agreed to expand their codeshare agreement, adding 11 Indian cities and another 40 international destinations to their network. This marks the first extensive expansion of codeshare arrangements between the airlines since 2010, offering customers enhanced travel options between Singapore and India, as well as beyond. A codeshare pact allows two airlines to offer their customers services on each other's flights. From October 27 this year, Air India and SIA will codeshare on each other's flights between Singapore and the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, increasing their total weekly scheduled codeshare services between the countries to 56 from 14. SIA will codeshare on Air India's domestic flights between Delhi and Amritsar, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Lucknow, and Varanasi, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Goa, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as between Kolkata and Guwahati. Air In

More than 140 systems integrated ahead of Air India-Vistara merger

More than 140 systems have been integrated and 2.7 lakh reservations made by Vistara passengers have been moved to the Air India system, ahead of the two airlines' merger next month. Air India's Chief Digital & Technology Officer Satya Ramaswamy on Tuesday said significant efforts are being made to comprehensively address Vistara customers' experience across all digital systems post-merger. At a select media briefing, he also said that 2.7 lakh reservations made by Vistara passengers have been moved to Air India, and more than 140 systems have been integrated. Among others, more than 4.5 million loyalty members of Vistara have already migrated to the Air India system. "On the technology side, the Air India systems are at a different level... that is the system the customers will use. The Vistara experience in other areas like aircraft and services will be the same... we will take the best from both airlines," Ramaswamy said. Last week, Air India said Vistara routes and schedule as

Air India aims to double direct sales earnings in 2-3 years: CDTO

Air India is already investing heavily in digital marketing to boost direct sales and is working on enhancing its website

Two men plead guilty to murder of Air India bombing suspect Ripudaman Malik

Two men accused of killing Ripudaman Singh Malik, a Sikh man acquitted in the tragic 1985 Air India Kanishka terrorist bombing case, have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Canadian court, according to media reports. Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez entered the pleas in the British Columbia (BC) Supreme Court on Monday on the eve of their trial for the killing of 75-year-old Malik, who was shot several times outside his family business on the morning of July 14, 2022. Malik was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia in 2022. He and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to the two bombings in 1985 that killed 331 people. In the court in New Westminster on Monday, both Fox and Lopez pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder, the Global News reported. The court heard an agreed statement of facts that revealed the two men had been hired to kill Malik, the report added. "What we know from the agreed statemen

US, Europe airlines approach Air India for developing their Gen AI chatbots

Major US and European airlines have approached Air India for developing generative AI chatbots similar to that of the Indian carrier's AI.g, which currently handles around 97 per cent of customer queries it receives without the help of contact centre agents. Besides, the Tata Group-owned Air India has filed for its first patent which is for the upcoming feature 'one click booking' of tickets on its website and mobile app. Air India's Chief Digital & Technology Officer Satya Ramaswamy on Tuesday said a lot of innovations are being done so that AI.g stands apart. "We are sharing the knowledge (about the chatbot) also but nobody has been able to come up with something like this yet," he said. At a select media briefing, Ramaswamy also said some US and European airlines have contacted Air India for help on building generative AI chatbots. "It is about thought leadership... we will help them with development," he said. Without naming the airlines that have approached it, he mentioned

Sikh separatist Pannun issues new terror threat, warns Air India flyers

This latest threat from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun citing Sikh genocide anniversary comes amidst a series of bomb threat hoaxes affecting multiple airlines in India

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Bomb threats hit Indian flights hard: The real cost of these hoax calls

These false bomb threats have caused significant financial losses for airlines, estimated in crores