Page 51 - Air India

Air India to induct first A350 aircraft in December: CEO Campbell Wilson

Air India has acquired this A350 aircraft through a lease transaction between its subsidiary AI Fleet Services Limited (AIFS), based in GIFT City, and the British bank HSBC

Air India completes acquisition of its 1st A350 aircraft through GIFT City

Air India on Friday said it has completed the acquisition of its first A350-900 aircraft by way of a finance lease transaction with HSBC through the GIFT City. This is also the first wide body aircraft to be leased through the GIFT City, the country's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). In a release, the airline said the transaction was facilitated by its wholly-owned subsidiary AI Fleet Services Ltd (AIFS) and is also the first financing transaction from the orders for 470 aircraft that were made earlier this year. Tata Group-owned Air India, which has embarked on an ambitious transformation plan, expects the first A350-900 aircraft to arrive in India by the end of this year. According to the release, the airline has successfully acquired India's first Airbus A350-900 aircraft through a finance lease transaction with HSBC. "This landmark transaction marks the beginning of our aircraft leasing business from GIFT IFSC, as AIFS will be the primary Air India Group .

Air India to roll out new uniforms for frontline employees by December

The Tata Group took charge of Air India in January last year. Currently, the conglomerate is in the process of merging Vistara into Air India

Air India crafts action plan to resolve spectrum of pilot concerns

In light of pilots identifying errors in flight plans, the airline will randomly scrutinise five per cent of dispatched flight plans for enhanced oversight

AI Express flight to Dubai diverted to Kannur due to fire warning light

A Dubai-bound Air India Express flight from Karipur international airport here was diverted to Kannur on Wednesday around an hour after take-off following the pilot noticing a fire warning light in the aircraft's cargo hold, airport sources said. The flight -- IX 345 -- with 176 people, including the crew, onboard landed safely at Kannur around 11 am and all the passengers are fine, the source said. The aircraft had taken off from Karipur airport at 9.53 am and an hour into the flight, the pilot noticed the warning light and decided to divert to Kannur, it added. Air India Express said the warning light was a false alarm. "Following a false alarm, our Kozhikode-Dubai flight has been diverted to Kannur. An alternative flight is being arranged to continue the scheduled operations to Dubai from Kannur. "Air India Express regrets the delay and inconvenience caused to guests and provided food and refreshments," an airline spokesperson said. An Air India Express flight from Sharjah whi

Notice period only justified if airline invested in training: Air India CEO

The comment comes at a time when India's youngest carrier Akasa Air has taken legal action against its 43 former Boeing 737 pilots who resigned without serving the notice period of six months

Air India plane with 250 passengers suffers tech glitch at Mumbai airport

Around 250 passengers had to wait inside an Air India aircraft for more than three hours at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday evening as the plane suffered a technical glitch, according to sources. The Dreamliner aircraft was stranded on the taxiway for a long time and later towed to the parking bay. A passenger onboard the aircraft told PTI that the flight, which was scheduled to take off at around 4 pm, was delayed, and finally, passengers boarded at around 5:30 pm. There was no proper briefing by the crew except for the message that there was a technical glitch. The passengers were inside the plane for more than three hours, and there was also no clarity about alternative arrangements, the passenger said. Sources at Air India said the aircraft suffered a technical glitch soon after pushback and was on the taxiway before it was towed to the parking bay. There were around 250 passengers onboard the plane, they added. They said passengers have been deboarded, and after thorough checks

Aim to complete Vistara, Air India merger shortly: Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines on Tuesday said it aims to complete the merger of Vistara with Air India "as soon as possible" subject to remaining approvals from relevant authorities. Once the proposed merger, which was approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on September 1, is complete, Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. Vistara is a joint venture in which Singapore Airlines has a 49 per cent stake, while the rest is with the Tatas. Singapore Airlines and Air India have given certain commitments to the CCI to address the competition concerns arising out of the merger. In a statement on Tuesday, Singapore Airlines welcomed the CCI's approval of the merger and said the airline as well as Scoot will follow the commitments. Scoot is a part of the Singapore Airlines group. "Singapore Airlines continues to work with our partner Tata Sons and aims to complete the merger as soon as possible, subject to the remaining approvals from the relevant authorities

AI, Singapore Airlines to maintain minimum capacity on certain routes

Air India and Singapore Airlines will ensure minimum capacity on various domestic and international routes, including Delhi-Sydney and Delhi-Paris, as part of commitments made to fair trade regulator CCI to address possible competition concerns arising out of the Vistara merger. Competition Commission of India (CCI), on September 1, approved the proposed merger of Vistara with Air India under a deal wherein Singapore Airlines will also acquire a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. Certain competition concerns due to the proposed merger were raised by the watchdog and to address them, the airlines have given certain commitments with respect to the merger. As per the commitments, Air India has voluntarily offered to maintain "minimum capacity/ supply level" on certain overlapping O&D (Origin & Destination) domestic and overseas routes. They are Bhubaneshwar-Delhi, Bengaluru-Guwahati, Cochin-Delhi, Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram, Amritsar-Delhi, Bhubaneshwar-Mumbai and Bengaluru-Delhi in

Air India to invest $200 million towards training its pilots, cabin crew

The airline will partner with plane manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to train its staff

DGCA approves wet lease for domestic carriers to meet festive season demand

IndiGo and SpiceJet are likely to wet-lease 20 aircraft. While IndiGo will source 11 Airbus A320 aircraft from SmartLynx Airline, SpiceJet will induct nine Boeing 737Max aircraft from Corendon Airline

Air India enters into codeshare pact with its subsidiary AIX Connect

Tata Group-owned Air India has entered into a codeshare pact with its subsidiary AIX Connect and initially, the pact will cover more than 100 flights a day on 21 routes. "The codeshare implementation enables Air India guests to connect seamlessly on AIX Connect's route network to and from over 80 points across Air India's extensive domestic and international network," a statement said on Monday. AIX Connect is in the process of being merged with Air India Express to create a single low-cost carrier within the Tata group's airline business. According to the statement, Air India will add its 'AI' designator code to over 100 flights a day operated by AIX Connect on 21 routes. "More routes under the codeshare agreement will be added progressively. Bookings for the codeshare flights are being opened across points of sale, for travel starting 27 September 2023," it said. With the latest codeshare pact, Air India has expanded its domestic route network to four new domestic destinations -

Air India must uplift safety culture to highest levels: CEO Campbell Wilson

The requirements and expectations with respect to safety are clear, and training and advice are readily available, he mentioned

Resignations have no impact on expansion, more pilots joining: Akasa CEO

Promoted by family of the late investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Akasa is planning to add more aircraft to its fleet and take it to 28 by March 2024 and add 10-12 planes every year for the next few years

DGCA suspends Air India's chief of flight safety, alleges lapses

Regulator takes action against Rajeev Gupta after two major safety violations at the airline in the last couple of months

DGCA suspends approval of AI's flight safety chief for a month for lapses

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Thursday said it has suspended the approval of Air India's Flight Safety Chief for one month for certain lapses. On July 25 and 26, the regulator's team carried out the surveillance of Air India in the areas of internal audit, accident prevention work and availability of required technical manpower. The surveillance found deficiencies in the accident prevention work carried out by the organisation and the availability of the requisite technical man power as required in the approved Flight Safety Manual and the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements, DGCA said in a release. "The approval of Chief of Flight Safety of Air India has been suspended for a period of one month for the lapses established," it said.

Air India, Vistara merger: Creditors to vote on merger proposal on Sept 23

Air India is wholly owned by Tata Sons, whereas Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and SIA

Tata airlines: Air India Express, AirAsia India commence interline bookings

Air India Express and AirAsia India have commenced interline bookings, as part of an agreement between the two Tata Group airlines, to enable customers have a seamless travel on their entire domestic and international network amid the ongoing merger process. Under the arrangement, customers can now book a single itinerary for both airlines, including a single PNR (Passenger Name Record) on the common website and other OTAs (Online Travel Agents) and travel partners, a joint statement by the two airlines said on Monday. Budget carrier AirAsia India, which has been rechristened as AIX Connect, flies on domestic routes, while Air India Express operates on overseas routes. AIX Connect is in the process of integrating and merging with Air India Express. Along with a single PNR facility, the passenger will also receive a single boarding pass at the departing airport when undertaking a domestic journey on AirAsia India flight and a connecting international flight with Air India Express, a

Pilot shortage pulls down Akasa Air's market share to 4.2% in August

IndiGo maintained its lead as the country's largest airline with its market share pegged at 63.3 per cent in August

Air India's SFO flight from Bengaluru diverted to Alaska due to tech issue

A San Francisco (SFO)-bound Air India flight from Bengaluru, with more than 280 people onboard, was diverted to a city in Alaska due to a technical issue, according to an airline official. After fixing the issue, flight AI 175 took off and landed at San Francisco at around 1000 hours India time on Monday, the official said. There were more than 280 people onboard and the flight later landed at its destination after a delay of around four hours, the official said. In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said the flight was briefly diverted to Anchorage in Alaska due to a technical reason. "All passengers were well looked after, and the flight thereafter continued to its destination San Francisco, where it landed safely. Air India regrets any inconvenience that the delay may have caused," the spokesperson said. Generally, the duration of the flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco is around 16 hours.