Airline Crisis

8 in 10 flyers encounter surprise charges while booking airline tickets

A new survey found that 80% passengers in India experience some dark pattern, including forced add-ons, and bait and switch behaviour while booking or managing flights on airline apps or websites

DGCA staffing crisis a threat to aviation safety system: Parl panel

A Parliamentary panel on Wednesday suggested a time-bound plan to grant administrative as well as financial autonomy to DGCA and flagged that the staffing crisis at the regulator is an "existential threat to the integrity of India's aviation safety system". Besides, the committee said the current imbalance, where aircraft induction is outpacing airport growth, is putting unsustainable pressure on existing facilities, degrading service quality, and dangerously straining safety margins, as it pitched for developing a comprehensive National Capacity Alignment Plan to synchronise airport infrastructure development with airline fleet induction schedules. The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture -- headed by Rajya Sabha member and JD(U) leader Sanjay Kumar Jha -- submitted its report on the 'Overall Review of Safety in the Civil Aviation Sector' on Wednesday. One of the recommendations is to establish a time-bound mechanism for the closure

Airline gets bomb threat email; nothing suspicious found at Pune airport

A private airline's office at Pune airport received a bomb threat, following which checks were conducted at the international airport here but nothing suspicious was found, police said on Tuesday. The airline received an email at 1.25 am on Sunday which said: "Powerful explosive devices are hidden inside the backpacks placed around the airport and planes. You must evacuate the building urgently...people will die." A customer care executive of the airline read the email at around 6.45 am and alerted authorities, an official from Vimantal police station said. After being alerted, personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and local police conducted extensive searches in and outside the airport premises. "No suspicious object or person was found. The threat turned out to be a hoax," the official said. Based on a complaint by the airline staff, a case has been registered and the police's cyber team has launched a probe to trac

Engines stalled, planes grounded: ICRA alerts turbulence in Indian aviation

Indian airlines remain grounded by engine problems and labour gaps, with recovery not expected before FY2026, finds credit rating agency ICRA

Bomb threats escalate, over 30 Indian flights affected since morning

More than 20 flights of various Indian airlines have received bomb threats since Saturday morning, according to sources. Flights of Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, SpiceJet, Star Air and Alliance Air have received the threats, the sources said. Among them are IndiGo's flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul, and Jodhpur to Delhi as well as Vistara's flight from Udaipur to Mumbai. IndiGo, in two separate statements, said it is cognisant of a situation involving flight 6E 17 from Mumbai to Istanbul, and flight 6E 11 from Delhi to Istanbul. The airline is working closely with the relevant authorities and taking all necessary precautions as per the guidelines. "Flight 6E 184, operating from Jodhpur to Delhi received a security-related alert. The aircraft has landed in Delhi and customers have disembarked the aircraft, we are coordinating with the security agencies as per procedure," the airline said in another statement. Vistara said that shortly before landing, flight UK 62

S&P, Moody's downgrade JetBlue amid $3 bn debt raise, shares sink

JetBlue intends to raise $1.5 billion through a private offering of senior secured notes and an additional $1.25 billion via a term loan, secured by TrueBlue

JetBlue Airways to raise over $3 bn through debt offerings, shares fall

The New York-based airline intends to raise $1.5 billion through a private offering of senior secured notes and an additional $1.25 billion via a term loan, secured by TrueBlue

New Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg faces big overhaul, from factories to finances

His extensive to-do list includes mending relationships with airlines and employees, boosting output, repairing company finances and securing a labor deal to avoid a possible worker strike

United Airlines forecast low profits; announces plans to cut capacity

United expects an adjusted profit in the range of $2.75 to $3.25 per share in the quarter ending September 30

Biggest challenge facing new Boeing CEO is winning over other airlines

Boeing's new management faces a myriad of challenges - criminal investigations, eroding finances, regulatory scrutiny, market share losses to rival Airbus SE, etc.

Japanese domestic flight returns to airport due to crack on cockpit window

An All Nippon Airways domestic flight turned back to Japan's northern airport of Sapporo after a crack was found on the cockpit window, according to the airline and media reports. ANA Flight 1182 was en route to Toyama airport in central Japan on Saturday but had to return to the New Chitose airport for repairs, the airline said. There were no reports of injuries among the 65 people on board. The crack was found on one of the cockpit windows and the cause is under investigation, according to local media reports. The plane involved is a Boeing 737-800 a different model from the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet that is under investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration. A plug covering a spot left for an emergency door tore off an Alaska Airlines plane as it flew 16,000 feet (4,800 meters) above Oregon on January 5, leaving a hole in the plane.

Boeing questioned again about 737 Max plane after window, fuselage blowout

The emergency landing of a Boeing 737 Max jetliner with a gaping hole in its side and the airline's decision to ground identical planes is renewing questions about the safety of Boeing's best-selling plane one that was involved in two deadly crashes. A window panel blew out on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 Max seven minutes after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, on Friday. The rapid loss of cabin pressure pulled the clothes off a child and caused oxygen masks to drop from the ceiling, but miraculously none of the 174 passengers and six members were injured. Pilots made a safe emergency landing. Hours after the terrifying incident, Alaska Airlines announced that it would ground its entire fleet of 65 Max 9s for inspections and maintenance. CEO Ben Minicucci said Alaska expects the inspections to be completed in the next few days. Even a short grounding will pose significant problems for the airline and its passengers the Max 9 accounts for more than one-fourth of Alaska's fleet. On

Go First lenders to not release more funding to grounded airline: Report

"Now the situation is quite different and the future is bleak," said a banker with a state-run bank that has exposure to Go First

Akasa cancels flights from Bengaluru, airline says network 'rationalised'

Akasa Air, which is facing headwinds due to pilot issues, has cancelled some flights from Bengaluru, sources said on Thursday, while the airline stated it has rationalised the network to ensure high operational reliability. Bengaluru is the hub for the carrier, which operates around 700 flights daily. Sources said the airline, which has been flying for more than a year, has cancelled some flights from Bengaluru. However, specific details could not be immediately ascertained. "As we have mentioned before in the July-August 2023 timeframe, when a small set of pilots abandoned their duties and left the organisation without serving their mandatory contractual notice period, we were forced to cancel a number of flights. "Since then, we have rationalised our network to ensure that we offer our customers the highest levels of operational reliability, as we did for the first 11 months of our operation," an Akasa Air spokesperson said in a statement. The airline flies to 16 cities. Accord

Wadia Group to stay away from Go First insolvency process: Report

A third source involved in the insolvency process said while the law does not prohibit the Wadia Group from joining the process at a later stage, there was no current indication it would do so

Senior Airbus executive says output goal to be based on jet deals

Airbus hopes to almost double production of its best-selling A320 family as air travel gathers pace following the coronavirus crisis.

Govt permits meals on flights, no-fly list for not to wear face mask

The government has permitted the airlines to serve pre-packed snacks, meals and beverages on domestic flights and hot meals on international flights, according to an official order. Moreover, any passenger who refuses to wear a face mask in a flight can be put on the no-fly list by the airline, said a senior official of the aviation regulator DGCA. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, in-flight meal service was not permitted on domestic flights since their resumption on May 25. On international flights, only pre-packed cold meals and snacks were being served depending on the flight duration since May this year. In an order issued on Thursday, the Civil Aviation Ministry said, "Airlines may serve pre-packed snacks/meals/pre-packed beverages on domestic flights depending on the duration of flight." Airlines and charter flight operators can "serve hot meals and limited beverages" on international flights "as per the standard practices", it added. The ministry said only single-use disposa

No sign of bailout from govt yet, GoAir promoters tell employees

The low-cost airline has sent 90% of its employees on leave without pay till 4 May

From airline revenues to IPL 2020: The latest on coronavirus crisis

Airline passenger revenues are set to plunge by 55%, or $314 billion, in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, IATA said

Making sense of airline troubles

Interfering with firm entry or exit, price fluctuations, or products and processes: These are the pathways to stagnation