Page 42 - Air India

Air India, Vistara merger receives Singapore's conditional approval

Singapore's flagship carrier announced its plan to merge Vistara and Air India in November 2022, in a bid to create a dominant full-service airline in the domestic and international markets

DGCA fines Air India Rs 30 lakh over failure to provide wheelchair

The 80-year-old passenger died of heart attack after he walked from plane to the terminal in Mumbai airport

Air India fined Rs 30 lakh over man's death after wheelchair unavailability

The man, in his 80s, died on February 12 after collapsing when he decided to walk after being told by Air India that the waiting time for the wheelchair was long due to heavy demand

Air India detects cabin lighting issue in B777 planes' economy class

Air India has found a technical issue in its leased Boeing 777-200 planes that has resulted in economy class cabin lighting remaining in the bright mode and the airline has decided to provide eye masks for the passengers of the aircraft. The Tata Group-owned Air India has leased five B777-200 LR planes from American carrier Delta Airlines. "A technical issue has been identified with the cabin lighting system on the B777-200 LR (leased aircraft) in the economy (EY) cabin. This has led to the EY cabin lighting to remain on bright mode throughout the flight," the airline said in a circular on Wednesday. To overcome the issue of the crew being unable to switch the lights to dim/off and to avoid guest inconvenience, eye masks will be provided to the passengers, it added. The airline operates B777 aircraft on ultra-long haul routes connecting Indian cities with San Francisco in the US and Vancouver in Canada.

Carriers between a rock and a hard place amid govt notification: Air India

In 2008, India signed the Cape Town Convention, an international treaty providing time-bound remedies for lessors to repossess planes, mitigating their risks

Air India unveils safety video with mudras from eight diverse dance forms

Air India on Friday unveiled a new inflight safety video that integrates safety instructions with mudras or dance expressions in eight diverse dance forms. The video has been developed in collaboration with McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific Chairman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, musician Shankar Mahadevan and film director Bharatbala. "Air India's new inflight safety video integrates safety instructions with mudras or dance expressions in eight diverse dance forms -- Bharatnatyam, Bihu, Kathak, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, Ghoomar, andGiddha -- from around the country. "Each featured dance form presents a specific safety instruction, providing vital information in an engaging and culturally immersive manner," the airline said in a release. Initially, the safety video will be accessible on Air India's A350 aircraft.

A-I enters into 12-yr pact with SIA Engineering Co for A320 family planes

Air India has entered into a 12-year agreement with SIA Engineering Company Ltd for extensive component support coverage for the airline's A320 family planes. "Under this 12-year agreement, Air India Group's current fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft will receive extensive component support coverage from SIAEC. "Besides access to its inventory pool, SIAEC (together with its subsidiaries and joint venture companies with Original Equipment Manufacturers) will also provide repair and overhaul services for airframe and on-wing engine component," the airline said in a release on Wednesday. Air India has inked an agreement with SIAEC for Inventory Technical Management (ITM). Currently, Air India has around 60 planes from the A320 family, including 320s and 321s, in its total fleet of 123 aircraft. It has also placed an order for 210 A320 family aircraft. Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director Campbell Wilson said the collaboration will further bolster our repairs and .

A-I, Vistara merger in progress, awaiting approvals: Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines on Tuesday said the proposed merger of Air India and Vistara is in progress, and is awaiting foreign direct investment and other regulatory approvals. Vistara is a joint venture between Singapore Airlines and Tata Group. The merger of Vistara with Air India under a deal, wherein Singapore Airlines will acquire a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India, was announced in November 2022. While announcing its December quarter results, Singapore Airlines said the merger will bolster its presence in India, strengthen its multi-hub strategy, and allow it to continue participating directly in this large and fast-growing aviation market. "The proposed merger of Air India and Vistara is in progress, pending foreign direct investment and other regulatory approvals. When completed, it will give SIA (Singapore Airlines) a 25.1 per cent stake in an enlarged Air India Group with a significant presence in all key Indian airline market segments," the release said. In January, Vistara CEO

Air India, Tata Advanced Systems set to invest Rs 2,300 crore in Karnataka

The strategic move is expected to enhance Karnataka's aerospace ecosystem and help create over 1,600 direct and 25,000 indirect jobs in the state

A-I to upgrade Boeing 777, 787 fleet with Thales entertainment system

Air India's existing fleet of 40 Boeing 777s and 787s will be upgraded with Thales' inflight entertainment system. The fleet will be upgraded with AVANT Up inflight entertainment solution, according to a release on Monday. "Thales will upgrade and retrofit Air India's current fleet of 40 Boeing 777s and 787s with its state-of-the-art AVANT Up system, starting in 2024 and continuing through 2025," it said. Further, Thales will install the system on Air India's 11 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft with deliveries to commence in 2025. Thales is into developing advanced technologies within three domains -- defence & security, aeronautics & space, and digital identity & security.

Air India, Tata Advanced Systems to invest Rs 2,300 crore in Karnataka

Out of the total investment, Air India will invest Rs 1,300 crore to conduct maintenance, repairs, and overhaul of planes at the Bengaluru airport

Airlines record lowest on-time figures in 11 months in Jan amid fog issues

DGCA and aviation security regulator Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on January 17 came down heavily on three airlines namely IndiGo, SpiceJet and Air India

CBI charge sheets former Air India CMD in software purchase irregularities

The CBI has filed a charge sheet against the then CMD of Air India, German firm SAP AG and IBM in connection with alleged irregularities in procurement of software worth Rs 225 crore by the national carrier in 2011, officials said on Sunday. The CBI has registered the case on the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) which found prima facie procedural irregularities in the procurement of the software, according to people in the investigation agency in know of the development. After nearly six years of probe, the CBI has filed a charge sheet against former CMD Air India Arvind Jadhav, IBM India Private Limited, SPA India Private Limited and six others under the IPC section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, they said. The CVC, in the note to the CBI, said that initial probe by Air India's chief vigilance officer shows that the national carrier had selected the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system from SAP A

Air India appoints Ravindra Kumar as chief human resources officer

Air India on Friday said Ravindra Kumar G P will take over as the airline's Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) from April 1. Kumar, who is currently with Tata Motors, will replace Suresh Dutt Tripathi who is retiring from the airline. "Following a long career with General Electric Company, the last four years of which as CHRO for South Asia, Ravi joins from Tata Motors Ltd where he has held the role of President & CHRO since 2018," the airline said in a release. Kumar will report to Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson. "At the same time as welcoming Ravi, we acknowledge the outstanding contribution of Suresh who, upon Air India's privatization, answered the call and has played a vital role over the last two years," Wilson said. Tata group took over the reins of loss-making Air India in January 2022.

Flag coercive call from management to extend duty: Unions ask A-I pilots

Tata Group-owned Air India's two pilot unions on Wednesday asked their members to flag any "coercive call" from the management for extending flight duty timings beyond the stipulated limits. In a joint communication to their members, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) also said that they are in the process of compiling the records of recent instances (of such calls). The communication comes in the backdrop of the two unions writing to Air India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson, alleging that the airline management is "intimidating and coercing" some of their members to extend flight duty timings beyond the prescribed limits. The letter to Campbell was also marked to Tata Group and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran, among others. "We wish to bring to your attention a matter of utmost importance concerning potential coercive calls related to the extension of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL)," the pilots unions s

Air India pilots' unions flag concerns over duty timings, safety issues

Air India pilots' groupings have alleged that the airline management is "intimidating and coercing" some of their members to extend flight duty timings beyond the prescribed limits. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) have written to Air India Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson flagging the issues. In their joint letter, dated January 28, the unions also claimed the airline's approach to extend the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) for pilots amounts to "compromising" with safety of the pilots besides violating established regulations. ICPA represents the narrow body pilots while IPG has members from the wide body fleet of Air India. It has come to the notice that some pilots are facing intimidation and coercion to extend their FDTL beyond the prescribed limits by the Director of Operations and base managers, including threats of jeopardising their career progression, the letter said. The unions also termed the

India has huge potential to be aircraft mfg hub: Scindia to Airbus CEO

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday met Airbus Global CEO Guillaume Faury and discussed collaboration opportunities for manufacturing and designing of aircraft. India is one of the key markets for Airbus, which received orders for more than 700 planes from IndiGo and Air India last year. Also, IndiGo, the country's largest airline, has only Airbus aircraft in its fleet. In a post on X, Scindia said he met "Guillaume Faury, Global CEO, Airbus today and discussed further opportunities of collaboration for aircraft manufacturing and designing". As one of the fastest growing economies and with a focus on Make In India, the country has huge potential to become a global aircraft manufacturing hub, he said. India is one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world.

Air India operating 41% more flights since Tata takeover, shows data

The emphasis on international expansion for Air India is driven by higher demand and more lucrative opportunities in that segment

Air India to induct 68 new aircraft in 2024, says CEO Campbell Wilson

The airline started the commercial operations of its first A350 aircraft on January 22, with a flight from Mumbai to Chennai

Air India to take delivery of 5 more A350s by June: CEO Campbell Wilson

Air India will add five more wide-body A350 aircraft to its fleet by June, and the process of upgrading 40 of its legacy Boeing 787 and 777 planes will begin in July, its chief Campbell Wilson said on Thursday. As Tata Group's takeover of loss-making Air India completes two years on January 27, Wilson also said that on average, one aircraft will arrive every six days throughout 2024. There will be an addition of 5 more A350s, which will progressively take to India's skies between January and June 2024, the Air India CEO and Managing Director said in a message to the staff. Air India will also induct 17 A320s and 46 B737s. The airline started the commercial operations of its first A350 aircraft on January 22, with a flight from Mumbai to Chennai. Currently, Air India has 117 operational aircraft and together with Air India Express, the total number of operational planes is 180. Last year, Air India placed an order for 470 planes with Airbus and Boeing. The "process of upgrading 4