Page 52 - Air India

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Air India in talks with commercial banks for Rs 3,000 crore loan

In talks with banks to fund down-payment under sale & leaseback deals

Air India CEO meets antitrust chief on pending Vistara merger: Report

The Competition Commission of India has been scrutinising the planned merger of Air India, which Tata Group took over last year, with Vistara, a joint venture between Tata and Singapore Airlines

Air India's accumulated losses at FY23-end estimated at Rs 14,000 crore

Air India's losses include write-offs on old planes and engines and those on account of AirAsia India

DGCA gives in-principle nod to Air India, IndiGo to import 970 planes

Aviation regulator DGCA has given in-principle nod for Air India and IndiGo to import a total of 970 planes. As part of their expansion plans, both carriers have placed huge aircraft orders. While Air India will acquire 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, IndiGo is to buy 500 planes from Airbus. "Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted in-principle approval to Air India Ltd and Interglobe Aviation Ltd (IndiGo) for import of 470 and 500 aircraft, respectively," Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Air India will purchase 210 planes from the A320 neo family, 140 from the B737 family and 40 from the A350 family. Besides, the carrier will buy 50 B737-8s, 20 B787-9s and 10 B777-9s. IndiGo will acquire 500 aircraft from the A320 neo family. In response to a query, Singh said the availability of parking slots is ensured at the time of grant of NOC (No Objection Certificate) for the actual import of aircraft

Air India Express flight makes emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram

An Air India Express flight from Tiruchirappali to Sharjah made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Monday due to technical reasons, Airport sources said. The airport authority declared a full emergency at the International Airport after the flight departed from Tiruchirappali in Tamil Nadu at around 10:45 AM. The flight landed safely at Thiruvananthapuram at around noon, an Air India spokesperson said. The airline also said there were 154 passengers on the flight and that it was a precautionary landing.

Delhi-bound AI flight returns to Melbourne due to medical emergency

A Delhi-bound Air India flight returned to Melbourne due to a medical emergency after being airborne for more than one hour on Sunday morning, according to an airline official. The flight AI309, operated with a Boeing Dreamliner, took off again after de-planing the unwell passenger and his family members and later landed at Delhi airport in the evening at around 2130 hours. The official said that one passenger was feeling unwell and a doctor onboard suggested that the passenger needed to be hospitalised. Since it was a medical emergency, the flight which was airborne for a little over one hour returned to Melbourne in the morning, the official said. Details about the number of passengers onboard could not be immediately ascertained.

Paris-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi after suspected tyre burst

Air India officials said that alternate arrangements are being made for the passengers to reach their destinations

Air India to launch new performance mgmt system for non-flying staff

Air India will launch a new performance management system for its non-flying staff next week. Air India, which was taken over by Tata Group in January last year, has embarked on an ambitious revival plan. "Rise.AI will introduce a fair, transparent and completely digitised appraisal system, with clearly defined job descriptions and specific performance goals so that all our staff know what is expected of them and what they must deliver on," Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said in his weekly message to staff on Friday. Earlier this year, Air India placed orders for 470 planes with Airbus and Boeing.

Moving with the times: Why Air India could give Maharaja a royal snub

The maharaja was created at a time when the airline had a very small marketing budget

Air India to start Delhi-Dhaka direct flights from Sep 15 using Airbus A320

Air India on Thursday said it will start direct flights between Delhi and Dhaka from September 15. The airline already operates flights between Kolkata and Dhaka. According to a statement, the flights between Delhi and Dhaka will be operated four times a week, using narrow body Airbus A320 aircraft. The bookings for the flights commenced on Thursday. Air India said the additional frequencies will help serve the increased demand for international travel to and from Dhaka on the back of Bangladesh's rapid economic growth and overall development. With four additional weekly flights from Delhi, Air India offers enhanced frequency to Dhaka, enabling convenient connections via Delhi to and/or from 14 destinations in India and 14 destinations across North America, UK, Australia, the Middle East, and the Far East, the airline said.

Air India to launch Delhi-Dhaka direct flight from September 15 this year

Passengers can book tickets for this route on Air India's website, mobile app, and travel agents

Air India plans to start flights to Los Angeles, Boston; assesses metrics

Tata Group-owned Air India is planning to operate flights to more US cities, including Los Angeles, and is assessing various metrics, according to sources. Currently, the airline operates non-stop flights to five American cities -- Washington, DC, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and San Francisco. Los Angeles and Boston are among the cities being assessed as potential new destinations for long-haul flights from India, the sources said. At present, Air India has a code share partnership with United Airlines. "We are planning to expand (our base) in the US and various cities are being assessed for potential new destinations. So, Boston is one of them, and Los Angeles too is among the cities that are being assessed," one of the sources said. "We are weighing other metrics as well," the source added. Starting a new destination entails examining a lot of factors, including fleet size, pilot strength and traffic volume on the route, according to aviation industry experts. The source sa

Air India aims to increase annual cargo capacity to 2 mn tonnes in 5 years

Air India on Wednesday said it is aiming for a 300 per cent growth in its annual cargo capacity to two million tonnes with non-stop connections to key export markets globally over the next five years. The belly capacity of the Air India fleet will grow significantly over the next few years, with the addition of new wide body aircraft this year and with most aircraft on firm order set to arrive from 2025, complementing India's manufacturing and export growth, according to a statement. This will have a cascading effect in generating greater employment prospects and boosting various business sectors, while supporting the economy, Air India said. The airline in collaboration with its joint venture partner SATS will make substantial capital expenditure for developing airport and logistics infrastructure. It is also exploring the possibilities of augmenting freighter capacity in collaboration with partners. Tata Group-owned Air India in June this year signed the purchase agreements to bu

As Tata reimagines Air India brand, its Maharaja mascot may become history

FutureBrand, a London-based design and branding consultancy firm will rework Air India's identity as the carrier aspires to compete against Emirates and Singapore Airlines

Air India launches new programme to simplify purchased cabin upgrades

Air India passengers can choose these upgrades to premium cabins between 72 hours and 12 hours before a scheduled flight, subject to the availability of seats in the cabin

Air India CEO visits Apple HQ, signs deal with Stanford University

Air India plans to increase its wide-body fleet by 30% by the end of the ongoing financial year in March 2024

Air India's wide-body fleet to increase by 30% by March 2024: CEO & MD

Airline to add six new A350 aircraft, five leased B777-200LR planes and nine B777-300ER aircraft this fiscal year

Air India signs multi-year engine services agreement with CFM International

The Indian carrier had in February announced that CFM will provide more than 800 Leap engines for the new A320neo family aircraft and Max planes

Vistara prepares to merge staff into Air India as two carriers merge

Vistara, now co-owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd., will be folded into Air India under a deal announced in November, giving the Tatas more heft to go up against dominant IndiGo