Page 49 - Air India

DGCA gives conditional nod to A-I for simulator training at facilities

Aviation regulator DGCA has given a conditional approval to Air India for simulator training of pilots at the airline's facilities in Hyderabad and Mumbai after certain deficiencies were rectified, according to officials. Last month, the watchdog had temporarily suspended simulator training activities at the two facilities due to certain lapses. A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday said a conditional approval has been given for 30 days after the deficiencies were rectified. "An internal audit is to be conducted within the 30-day period, and after the review, the findings are to be shared with DGCA," the official said and added that the training had remained suspended for 10 days. There was no comment from Air India. An Air India official said training has resumed at the Hyderabad facility and the training at the Mumbai facility will begin once the next batch is ready. The Hyderabad facility provides simulator training for pilots of ...

Air India partners with Bangkok Airways to expand into Southeast Asia

Air India has entered into an interline partnership with Bangkok Airways that will allow Tata group airline's customers seamless connections to 10 Southeast Asian destinations beyond the Thailand capital. The two carriers have also entered a Special Prorate Agreement that allows them to file 'through fares' on routes covering each other's networks. This arrangement means that a passenger can have a single fare for a single ticket covering all destinations in an itinerary. The partnership enables Air India passengers to take convenient connections via the airline's Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore gateways to and from 10 destinations in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia on Bangkok Airways' route network, a release said on Thursday. An interline arrangement refers to a pact to issue and accept tickets for flights that are operated by the partner airline. When selling an interline ticket, the operating airlines' own flight numbers are used. The collaboration with Bangkok Airways also ...

G20: Air India, Vistara announce waivers for ticket holders from 7-11 Sept

A spokesperson for Delhi airport said it has also formed a team of senior officials who will monitor G20 arrival and departure operations to ensure the best experience for the arriving delegates

Air India offers one-time ticket waiver for those travelling during G20

The Delhi government on Tuesday issued a gazette notification on traffic restrictions imposed across the national capital in view of the upcoming G20 summit

Air India to induct two A350 planes this year that have received DGCA

Air India will induct two A350 aircraft this year for which it has received DGCA approval and expects to have six such planes in its fleet by the end of March 2024, according to officials. Steered by the Tata Group, the loss-making Air India is expanding its fleet as well as operations. In February, the carrier placed an order for 470 aircraft, including 40 A350-900/1000 planes. The officials in the know said, Air India has received the Letter of Type Acceptance (LoTA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for inducting two A350 aircraft -- A350-900 and A350-1000. Both planes will be powered by Rolls Royce engines. An official at the airline said it will be inducting the two wide body aircraft this year. By the end of March next year, Air India expects to have a total of six A350 planes, the official added. Currently, Air India, which was taken over by the Tata Group from the government in January last year, has a fleet of 126 planes. This includes 52 wide body Bo

Domestic, short-haul international: A-I Express unveils vision after merger

AirAsia India operates only domestic flights while 95 per cent of Air India Express's flights are between India and the Gulf region

CCI approves Air India-Vistara merger, subject to certain conditions

CCI has not issued an order on this matter yet. As per official sources, it is expected to issue an order after one month

CCI clears Air India-Vistara merger subject to certain conditions

Competition Commission on Friday approved the proposed merger of Air India and Vistara subject to certain conditions. The development is a major step forward for Tata Group in consolidating its aviation business. In a post on platform X, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Friday said it has approved the merger. "CCI approves the merger of Tata SIA Airlines into Air India, and acquisition of certain shareholding by Singapore Airlines in Air India subject to compliance of voluntary commitments offered by the parties," it said.

Air India onboarded 650 pilots since April 2023, says CEO Campbell Wilson

Air India group airlines have recruited and onboarded as many as 650 pilots since April this year, according to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson. Besides, Air India's widebody Boeing 777 fleet will have two more B777s by the first week of this month, with one of them already added to the fleet, which will help the airline enhance services to the US and upgauge capacity, he said. Air India group comprises full service Air India and its two wholly-owned subsidiaries -- Air India Express and AIX Connect (erstwhile AirAsia India). Last year, Air India announced its plans to induct on lease 11 B777s -- six B777-300ER and five B777-200-LR, primarily to operate its flights on North American routes. He also said that two of the three long-grounded Boeing 787s have also returned to service. Significantly all this comes amid the aviation safety regulator DGCA temporarily suspending all training at Air India's Mumbai and Hyderabad facilities after it found certain "lapses" during a spot check.

Air India submits quality manual, SOP to DGCA to activate simulator licence

DGCA has suspended the airline's both simulators; pilots' license renewal process has stopped

DGCA suspends Air India's simulator facilities in Mumbai, Hyderabad

If pilot licenses and certificates lapse, A-I's international and domestic flights could get impacted

DGCA suspends simulator pilots training at Air India's Hyderabad facility

Aviation watchdog DGCA has suspended simulator training activities for A320 pilots at Air India's facility in Hyderabad, close on the heels of suspending the training activities for Boeing pilots at the Tata Group-owned airline's facility in Mumbai, according to sources. The two decisions by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in a span of just three days could pose operational challenges for Air India as currently the carrier cannot train narrow-body and wide-body pilots at its own training facilities. "The DGCA has now suspended the simulator training activities at Air India's facility for A320 pilots as well owing to certain lapses observed during an inspection," one of the sources told PTI on Wednesday. There was no comment from Air India on the regulator's decision. Regarding the inspection findings, a senior Air India official said that "whatever advice has been given by the regulator in its observations, we are looking into it and taking corrective measures". T

DGCA suspends Air India's Boeing simulator facility in Mumbai for lapses

Pilot licenses may lapse; airline's flights could get impacted

DGCA temporarily suspends Boeing simulator training facility of Air India

Aviation safety regulator DGCA has temporarily suspended the Boeing simulator training facility of Air India for certain alleged lapses, a source has said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is verifying some of the documents pertaining to the matter and will take a call on the restoration of the training facility once it completes the process, the source said. When contacted, a senior Air India official said DGCA carries out routine checks (on airlines) but did not divulge details. DGCA has temporarily suspended Air India's Boeing simulator training facility for certain lapses. The regulator is verifying some documents related to the matter, the source said. The regulatory action against the Tata Group-owned Air India came days after a two-member DGCA inspection team allegedly found lapses in the airline's internal safety audit reporting, prompting it to launch a probe in the matter. A decision on the restoration of the training at the facility will be taken once th

UK air traffic curbs: Air India says no significant impact on its flights

Air India on Monday said there is no significant impact on its flights to and from the UK, where a technical issue has impacted air traffic services, and that the airline is actively monitoring the situation. NATS, which provides air traffic control services in the UK, has put in place certain traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. In an update at 1515 hours GMT, NATS said it has identified and remedied the technical issue affecting its flight planning system. Air India and Vistara, both part of the Tata Group, are the only Indian carriers operating flights to the UK. While Air India flies to London, Gatwick and Birmingham, Vistara operates services to London. "There is no significant impact on our flights to and from the UK, as of now. We are actively monitoring the situation," an Air India spokesperson said. Air India operates 98 weekly flights between India and the UK. On August 28, the airline is scheduled to operate 14 flights between India and the UK. Vistara operat

Air India to deploy additional cabin crew on narrow body planes: CEO

An official from Air India clarified that narrowbody planes require more cabin crew members to deliver premium service

DGCA inspection finds lapses in Air India's internal safety audits

A two-member inspection team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found lapses in internal safety audits of Air India and the regulator is probing the matter, according to officials. When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said that all airlines are subject to regular safety audits by regulators and other bodies. "Air India actively engages in such audits to continually assess and strengthen our processes," the spokesperson said in a statement and added that the airline directly addresses any matters raised with the authority concerned. According to the inspection report submitted to the DGCA, the airline was supposed to carry out regular safety spot checks in various areas of operations such as cabin surveillance, cargo, ramp and load but during a random inspection of 13 safety points, the team found that the airline prepared false reports in all 13 cases. "Moreover, when cross-verified with CCTV, recordings, auditee statements, shift register documents, GD ..

Orange, red, and turquoise: Air India Express livery to colour the skies

Air India's new livery and logo incorporate the outer pane of a 'jharokha', a classic ornate Indian window

Air India pilots' grouping flags fatigue concerns over new rostering system

An Air India pilots' grouping has raised fatigue concerns in the wake of flight crew rosters generated using a new rostering tool, saying that extended waiting periods between duty time will jeopardise crew alertness and performance. "Extended waiting periods, occurring before active flight duties, run counter to enhancing crew readiness and, in fact, contribute to the accumulation of fatigue over time," the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) has said. In a letter to Air India Head of Safety Henry Donohoe last week, IPG said it has been recently observed that the relentless pursuit of operational efficiency and economic gains has led to an unintended overshadowing of the primary intent behind Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations. The Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) are laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to ensure adequate res timings for pilots and cabin crew staff. The issue of fatigue among pilots is in focus following the death of an IndiGo pilot recentl

Bomb hoax in Air India aircraft at Amritsar airport triggers panic

Panic gripped the Shri Guru Ramdas Ji International Airport here when staff cleaning an Air India aircraft reported a bomb threat on Monday. However, it later turned out to be a hoax. Two hours after flight AI-170 arrived from London's Gatwick Airport, the staff cleaning it found a paper slip with "bomb" written on it in the aircraft's toilet, the Punjab Police said. The plane had arrived with 187 passengers on board, the authorities said. The airport authorities reported the matter to the Central Industrial Force and the aircraft, which was then in the hangar, placed in isolation, the police said. Officials said the plane was searched for three hours but no explosives were found. An airport official said the flight departed for Gatwick from Amritsar with 240 passengers.