Page 42 - Air India

Air India Express cancels 91 flights as cabin crew goes on sick leave

After Vistara cancellations, it's the turn of another Tata airline to face crisis

Air India Express cancels several flights due to cabin crew shortage

Air India Express has cancelled "scores of flights" due to a shortage of cabin crew members as a section of them are reporting sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the Tata Group-owned airline, according to sources. Discontent has been brewing among a section of the cabin crew at the low-cost carrier for some time now, especially after the start of the process of merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself. The sources on Wednesday said several cabin crew members started reporting sick since Monday evening and as there are not enough cabin crew members, "scores of flights" have been cancelled at various airports, including Kochi, Calicut and Bangalore. Late last month, a union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew alleged that the airline is being mismanaged and there is a lack of equality in the treatment of the staff. Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), a registered union, which claims to represent around 300 cabin crew membe

Intervene urgently, resolve AI Express strike: Venugopal writes to Scindia

After Air India Express cancelled several domestic and international flights in the wake of its crew strike, Congress leader K C Venugopal on Wednesday sought immediate intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and called for urgent measures to ensure the passengers are not affected. In a letter to Scindia, Venugopal said the flight cancellations are causing agony to fellow citizens, especially those going to the Middle East. He said Air India Express is a low cost airline that is essential to connect our hardworking middle class workers across the world to their homeland. "When 80+ flights are cancelled due to employees' strikes, it causes huge agony to our fellow citizens, especially those in the Middle East. Wrote to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to intervene urgently and resolve the strike and restore regular Air India Express flights at the earliest," Venugopal said in a post on X while sharing his letter. "I am writing to bring to your kind attention the .

Air India Express to curtail flights amid cabin crew shortage: CEO Singh

Air India Express will curtail flights for the next few days to cope with non-availability of crew members, its CEO Aloke Singh said on Wednesday as the airline has been forced to cancel more than 90 flights due to cabin crew members reporting sick. In a message to the airline's staff, Singh said since last evening, more than 100 cabin crew members have reported sick prior to their rostered flight duty, "at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations". More than 90 flights have been disrupted due to the situation, he added. "The disruptions have cascaded across the network, forcing us to curtail the schedules over the next few days. We had to do this to cope with the non-availability of crew and to recover schedules," Singh said. Tata Group-owned Air India Express operates around 360 flights daily in the ongoing summer schedule that started in late March.

Air India Express staff express 'growing discontent' in letter to chairman

The letter from the Air India Express employees union follows a mass sick leave by Air India cabin crew earlier today which left at least 86 flights cancelled

Air India Express says no recognition of workers' union amid crew protest

The statement comes hours after the airline cancelled some 26 flights and delayed 81 due to last-minute sick calls by some cabin crew members

Air India, Lufthansa deepen ties, expand codeshare on India-Australia route

Passengers flying with Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Munich can now seamlessly connect to Sydney and Melbourne via Delhi and Mumbai airports using Air India flights

Highlights of the day: Paytm President and COO Bhavesh Gupta tenders resignation

From Uddhav Thackrey's attacks on BJP, to Air India's decision to resume its flights between Delhi and Tel Aviv, catch all the latest news here

Air India reduces cabin baggage allowance to 15 kg for lowest fare segment

Loss-making Air India has reduced the free cabin baggage allowance to 15 kilogram from 20 kilogram for the lowest economy fare segment on domestic flights. The changes have been made in the menu-based pricing model fare families that were introduced by the Tata Group-owned Air India last August, with the airline saying that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer ideal. There are three fare families -- Comfort, Comfort Plus and Flex -- that offer different levels of benefits and fare restrictions at various price points, an airline spokesperson said on Saturday. With effect from May 2, the free cabin baggage allowance for the 'Comfort' and 'Comfort Plus' categories has been reduced to 15 kg from 20 kg and 25 kg, respectively. Prior to the introduction of the fare families concept, passengers on Air India's domestic flights were allowed to carry 25 kilograms of cabin baggage free of any additional charge. "On domestic routes in Economy Class, both 'Comfort' and 'Comfort Plus' far

Air India to resume flight services between Delhi-Tel Aviv on May 16

Air India on Friday said it will resume flight services between Delhi and Tel Aviv on May 16. The airline has temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv amid tensions in the Middle East. In a post on X, Air India said it will resume "services between Delhi and Tel Aviv with five weekly flights from 16 May, 2024". On April 19, the airline said Tel Aviv flights will remain suspended till April 30. The suspension was later extended till May 15. After nearly five months, the Tata group-owned carrier had recommenced services to the Israeli city on March 3. Tensions remain high in the Middle East due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Air India deploys A350 on international route with Delhi-Dubai flight

Air India has commenced services with its A350 aircraft on the international route by operating the first Delhi-Dubai flight on Wednesday and plans to fly the wide-body plane on more overseas routes in the coming months. The Tata Group-owned carrier is now operating a daily service between Delhi and Dubai, with the plane featuring a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats. In a release on Thursday, Air India said it commenced flights on the Delhi-Dubai route using its A350-900 aircraft on Wednesday and currently, it is the only airline to deploy the plane between India and Dubai. A source in the know said the airline is likely to start deploying the A350 plane for operations on the London route by November. The airline will also be operating the plane on more international routes. Air India started inducting the A350 planes this year and are being used for domestic flights as well. The airline has placed an order for 40 A350 planes and at least four of them are in its ...

Air India extends suspension of flights to Tel Aviv in Israel till May 15

Air India on Tuesday said it has extended the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv till May 15 amid tensions in the Middle East. On April 19, the airline said Tel Aviv flights will remain suspended till April 30. It operates four weekly flights between the national capital and the Israeli city. In view of the ongoing situation in parts of the Middle East, Air India said it has extended the temporary suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv to May 15. "We are continuously monitoring the situation and are extending support to our passengers who have confirmed bookings for travel to and from Tel Aviv during this period, with a one-time waiver on rescheduling and cancellation charges," the airline said in a statement. Tensions remain high in the Middle East due to the conflict between Israel and the Hamas group. After nearly five months, the Tata group-owned carrier had recommenced the services to the Israeli city on March 3. Air India had suspended flights to and from Tel Av

Air India-Vistara merger: Tata Sons moves up deadline to year-end

Air India and Vistara have reached out to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and initiated the process of merging their operational manuals

India's widebody aircraft fleet has remained stagnant for last 15 years

This has allowed foreign carriers grow in the country's market

Air India Express offers discounted tickets to young first-time voters

The deal is available to first-time voters aged between 18 and 22, who have a valid voter ID and are travelling to or from airports near their respective home constituencies

Air India staff bids adieu to one of its last Boeing 747s from Mumbai

On Monday morning, Air India staff at the city airport waved goodbye to one of their last 'Queen of the Skies' -- the iconic Boeing 747 aircraft that served the airline for almost five decades operating commercial, VVIP and evacuation flights. As the double-decker plane took to the Mumbai skies enroute to the US, a 'wing wave' maneuver also marked the end of an era for Air India, which started flying in 1932 and is now owned by the Tata Group. 'Wing wave' is a dip of the aircraft from one side to the other in the air that is generally done for retiring aircraft. The Boeing 747 has operated various important flights for Air India, including two medical evacuation flights to Wuhan in China during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, according to officials. Sharing a video clip of the Boeing 747 taking off from the Mumbai airport and doing a 'wing wave', Air India said it will miss the aircraft's iconic presence. "Today, we wave goodbye to the first of our last 'Queen

Air India enters into codeshare pact with Japan's All Nippon Airways

Air India has entered into a codeshare partnership with Japan's All Nippon Airways. With the codeshare, effective for travel from May 23, Air India and All Nippon Airways passengers can fly to their desired destination by combining those flights between India and Japan with a single ticket. Air India will add its 'AI' designator code on ANA's flights between Tokyo Haneda and Delhi as well as Tokyo Narita and Mumbai. ANA will add its 'NH' designator code on Air India's flight between Tokyo Narita and Delhi, a release said on Tuesday. Both airlines are considering further expanding their cooperation on additional routes. Now, Tata Group-owned Air India, which is expanding its presence, has codeshare partnerships with 15 airlines, including ANA .

India averts travel chaos as plane technicians call off Tuesday strike

Travel plans were thrown into disarray earlier this month after Vistara, jointly owned by Air India's owner Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd., was forced to cancel more than 100 flights

Air India cancels Dubai flights due to continued operational disruptions

Air India cancelled its flights to and from Dubai on Friday due to continued operational disruptions at the airport in the Emirates. Passengers of Air India who have booked the flights for travel till April 21 will be offered a one-time waiver on rescheduling and full refunds for cancellation. An Air India spokesperson said the airline has cancelled the flights to and from Dubai on Friday due to continued operational disruptions at the Dubai airport. "We are doing our best to get affected customers on their way by re-accommodating them on flights as soon as operations resume," the spokesperson said in a statement. Currently, Air India operates 72 flights a week to Dubai from five Indian cities, of which 32 flights are from Delhi. Operations at the Dubai Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, have been hit by unprecedented rains and floods. The Indian embassy in the UAE on Friday advised the inbound Indian passengers travelling to or transiting through Dubai Internatio

AI code now on Air India Express's flights, Vistara later: Campbell Wilson

An airline's designator code is used for quick identification in flight reservations, ticketing, and baggage handling, making travel processes smoother and more efficient