Page 49 - Air India

Air India-Vistara merger remains on course, says Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines on Tuesday said the proposed merger of Air India and Vistara "remains on course" and is subject to approvals from regulators as well as competition authorities in several jurisdictions. Once the merger is complete, Singapore Airlines (SIA) will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. Currently, Singapore Airlines owns a 49 per cent shareholding in Vistara and the remaining 51 per cent stake is with the Tata Group. "The proposed merger of Air India and Vistara remains on course, with the Competition Commission of India approving the transaction in September 2023. "It remains subject to foreign direct investment approval, as well as approvals from other regulators and competition authorities in several jurisdictions including those from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and National Company Law Tribunal, and the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore," SIA Group said in a release on Tuesday. While announcing the .

Additional checks in place for A-I passengers at Delhi airport till Nov 30

Passengers travelling on Air India flights from airports in the national capital and Punjab will be subject to additional checks, and issuance of visitor entry tickets has been stopped at the Delhi airport till November 30 amid increased threat perception, according to sources. Apart from issuance of temporary airport entry passes, entry of visitors to the terminal building of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) have been banned till November 30, they added. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued a circular in this regard on Monday. There will be Secondary Ladder Point Check for Air India flights at the IGIA and airports in Punjab, the sources said. Generally, it refers to checking passengers and their hand baggage just before boarding a flight. This is in addition to the primary security checks. There was no comment from Air India. With respect to temporary airport entry passes at the Delhi airport, there will be relaxation for operational purposes for governm

Air India suspends Tel Aviv flights till Nov 30 amid Israel-Hamas war

Air India has suspended its scheduled flights to Tel Aviv till November 30 amid the tensions between Israel and militant group Hamas. The airline has not operated a scheduled flight to and from Tel Aviv since October 7. An airline spokesperson on Sunday said flights to Tel Aviv have been suspended till November 30. Normally, the full-service carrier operates five weekly flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital. The service is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Last month, the airline operated a few chartered flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital under the government's Operation Ajay to bring back Indians who wished to come back from Israel against the backdrop of the escalating conflict.

Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Pannun threatens to blow up AI flight on Nov 19

Pannun claimed that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport would remain shut on November 19 and that its name would be changed

Air India enters into interline pact with Alaska Airlines to operate in US

Air India has entered into an interline partnership with Alaska Airlines. The partnership will allow Air India customers to "avail seamless connections from New York JFK, Newark-New Jersey, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Vancouver gateways to and from 32 destinations in the USA, Mexico, and Canada on Alaska Airline's network", according to a release. 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 release said the scope of the partnership includes bilateral interlining which allows both the airlines to sell tickets on each other's network. "The two airlines have also entered a Special Prorate Agreement, which allows Air India to file 'through fares' on routes covering Alaska Airlines' network," it added. This arrangement means that a passenger can have a single fare for a single ticket covering all ...

Will add 400 weekly flights this winter: Air India CEO Campbell Wilson

The airline runs approximately 2,900 weekly flights, with roughly 32 per cent dedicated to international routes, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium's data

Aviation ministry, DGCA to look into ex-pilot's complaint against Air India

The civil aviation ministry and the DGCA will look into a complaint filed against Air India by a former senior pilot alleging that the airline operated Boeing 777 planes to the US without having the required system of emergency oxygen supply, according to sources. The pilot, who had served as a B777 commander, complained about the practice to the ministry and the DGCA on October 29. According to the sources, the pilot, in the complaint, said Air India has been operating flights with leased B777 aircraft that carry a chemically-generated oxygen system which lasts around 12 minutes, and hence should not be used for the airline's direct flights to and from San Francisco. The airline has to factor in that in case of an emergency situation of depressurisation, there should be sufficient oxygen supply to all the crew and the passengers for any period that is more than 12 minutes, the complaint said and also referred to the DGCA norms. A senior government official on Friday said the minis

Air India to add more than 400 weekly flights over the next 6 months

On international routes, Air India plans to operate over 200 weekly flights, of which over 80 have already been added

Chief executives of Air India, Akasa joust over poaching of pilots

The rare verbal and written confrontations between the airlines' chief executives were detailed in the letter, sent by Campbell Wilson of Air India, which is owned by the Tata Group conglomerate

A-I expands domestic, global distribution networks with global partners

Air India on Monday said it has ramped up its domestic and international distribution networks with extended multi-year agreements with global distribution systems partners Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. "The deals together enable travel agents, resellers, and corporations around the world to access Air India's seat inventory and fares. Air India's new expanded agreements with the GDS partners now include the delivery of New Distribution Capability (NDC) products that provide travellers benefits such as personalised pricing, attractive fare bundles, and new ancillaries," it said in a release. The agreements with Amadeus and Sabre have been expanded to include the domestic content as well as distribution and servicing of NDC content, it added. Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India in January last year and a transformation plan is underway at the airline.

Air India appoints Klaus Goersch as executive vice-president and COO

Goersch, in this newly created role, will oversee flight operations, engineering, ground operations, integrated operations control (IOCC) and cabin crew functions

Air India announces senior level appointments; Klaus Goersch new COO

Air India on Friday announced the appointment of Klaus Goersch as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, as well as various other senior level appointments. In the newly-created position at the airline, Goersch will oversee flight operations, engineering, ground operations, Integrated Operations Control and cabin crew functions. Air India said incumbent chief of operations R S Sandhu will transition to an advisory role. In a release, Air India said Goersch's role includes focus on the harmonisation of the four Tata airlines' operating procedures, the Airbus A350 entry-into-service programme and assisting the team establishing the carrier's new training academy. A licensed B777/787 pilot, he had served in similar positions in both British Airways and Air Canada. Air India has also announced the appointment of Manish Uppal, who transitioned from AirAsia India a few months ago, as Senior Vice President for flight operations. Besides, Henry Donohoe's corporate saf

Demystifying airline seat charges: Rules and logic behind web check-in fees

From low-cost carriers to full-service providers, how Indian airlines define their seat pricing strategies

A-I suspends Tel Aviv flights till Nov 2 amid escalating Israel-Hamas war

Air India has extended the suspension of its scheduled flights to Tel Aviv till November 2 amid the continuing tensions between Israel and militant group Hamas. The latest conflict has been triggered by the unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza on October 7. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive in Gaza to avenge the attacks. An Air India official on Wednesday said the scheduled flights to Tel Aviv have been suspended till November 2. The airline has not operated a scheduled flight to and from Tel Aviv since October 7. Normally, the full-service carrier operates five weekly flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital. The service is on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. During this month, the airline operated a few chartered flights to Tel Aviv from the national capital under the government's Operation Ajay to bring back Indians who wished to come back from Israel against the backdrop of the escalating conflict.

Tata-owned Air India Express to double its pilot count in next one year

Air India Express is in the process of merging low-cost domestic carrier AirAsia India with itself, and last week unveiled its new brand identity

Not perturbed by Air India's use of Russian airspace: Finnair India head

In response, Russia banned their carriers from using its airspace. However, there are no such restrictions on Indian carriers

House panel again asks aviation min about value of A-I disinvestment

A Parliamentary panel on Thursday again asked the civil aviation ministry to explain about how the enterprise valuation of Rs 18,000 crore was arrived for the disinvestment of Air India that was completed in January last year. The matter has been mentioned by the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in its report tabled in the Rajya Sabha. The report pertains to the action taken by the government on the recommendations/observations of the committee in the report on Demands for Grants (2023-24) of the civil aviation ministry. Tata Group's Talace Pvt Ltd has acquired Air India, Air India Express and a 50 per cent stake in Air India Airport Services Pvt Ltd (AISATS) through the disinvestment process. "The committee notes that the Enterprise Valuation method was adopted for inviting bids for disinvestment of Air India, which afforded the prospective bidders an opportunity to resize the balance sheet. The committee would like to know as t

Air India Express will focus on routes with price-sensitive customers: MD

Air India's low-cost subsidiary Air India Express will focus on routes which have a higher component of price-sensitive customers and leisure travellers, airline's Managing Director Aloke Singh has said. Singh also said that Air India Express is not looking at spreading its capacity all over the country in the beginning and instead will first consolidate its presence on the existing routes. A subsidiary of Air India, Air India Express is in the process of merging low-cost domestic carrier AirAsia India with itself, and last week unveiled its new brand identity. Air India Group, comprising Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara, is owned by the Tatas, which is also in the process of consolidating its airline business. As part of it, Vistara, which is a 51:49 joint venture airline between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, is also in the process of merging with AI India. "The focus of Air India Express will be on routes which have a higher component of leisure travelle

Air India starts programme to boost pilots' mental health: CEO Wilson

DGCA had in February asked airlines to institute such a programme for pilots, cabin crew members and air traffic controllers

Air India seeks to boost its talent pool with interactive program SOAR

Air India has started an interactive programme to hire students from business schools as the airline expands its fleet and operations. The Tata Group-owned carrier on Thursday said it started SOAR (Spirit of Aviation Reimagined) in August and is a first-of-its-kind student interactive programme in the aviation industry. This unique move to engage fresh talent to the nuances of the aviation sector will go a long way in augmenting Air India's employee pool with the best talent, it said in a release on Thursday. SOAR is the airline's business challenge-based annual nationwide B-school competition and part of its campus outreach programme. The loss-making carrier, which has embarked on a five-year transformation journey under the Tata Group, said its talent augmentation drives over the last one year have been receiving overwhelming response from the market and leading institutes with the initial recruitment drive for management post-graduates drawing response from over 25,000 applicant