Airline Industry

Singapore Airlines' A380 plane rolls back after parking at Delhi airport

Singapore Airlines' jumbo A380 aircraft rolled back at the Delhi airport after parking on Monday, an incident in which a cabin crew suffered a minor bruise, and later, the plane was towed back safely to its designated parking bay. The aircraft was operating flight SQ406 from Singapore to the national capital on November 25. In a statement on Wednesday, an airline spokesperson said the plane "experienced a rollback after parking" at the airport, and the pilot immediately applied the brakes to halt the aircraft. Generally, after a plane lands and reaches the parking bay, the pilot first applies the toe brakes and then the parking brakes before switching off the engine. Later, the ground staff keep chocks on the front and back sides of the aircraft wheels. Once that process is complete, it is communicated to the pilot, who then releases the parking brakes. Chocks are broadly wedges that are used to ensure there is no movement of wheels. Also, some parking bays might have a slight slo

994 hoax bomb threats to airlines till Nov 13 this year, says govt in RS

Airlines received 994 hoax bomb threats this year till November 13 and robust protocols are in place to handle such threats, the government has said. To deal with the menace of hoax calls in a comprehensive manner, the civil aviation ministry plans to amend the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, and Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023. A total of 1,143 hoax bomb threat messages/calls were received from August 2022 till November 13, 2024, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohol informed Rajya Sabha on November 25. During the period from August 2022 to December 2022, there were 27 threats and the number rose to 122 last year. From January to November 13, 2024, the total threats received stood at 994, as per the data shared by the minister in a written reply to the Upper House. "The recent threats were hoax and no actual threat was detected at any of the airports/aircraft in India. As per assessment of BTAC, operations of some of the ..

SriLankan Airlines eyes more Indian tourists with Ramayana Trail package

Seeing India as a place that offers "enormous growth" opportunities, SriLankan Airlines aims to increase flights to the country as well as attract more tourists, including with the Ramayana Trail package, according to a top airline official. The Ramayana Trail will help people connect with 20 significant locations in Sri Lanka that are linked to the Ramayana story. SriLankan Airlines CEO Richard Nuttall said growth in the number of tourists from India has been stellar this year but still below the pre-Covid numbers. He was speaking at a function in the national capital for the launch of the Ramayana Trail package on Saturday evening. High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India Kshenuka Senewiratne was also present. Till the end of October this year, around 20 per cent of the tourists who came to Sri Lanka were from India. "We have been looking at how to lift and rejuvenate tourism from India to Sri Lanka to the next level," he said while mentioning the Ramayana Trail and added that it

Air India Express to reconfigure planes with biz class seats from Apr 2025

Air India Express plans to start reconfiguration of planes having business class seats from April 2025, as the airline focuses on operating narrow-body planes with only economy class seats, according to a senior official. The Tata Group-owned airline that merged AIX Connect with itself on October 1 has rationalised its network and currently has an operational fleet of 90 planes, including over 30 aircraft with dual-class seats. Amid supply chain woes impacting fresh aircraft deliveries, the airline has, so far, inducted 35 white-tail Boeing 737-8 planes. Their count will rise to 50 in the coming months. Many of these white-tail aircraft have varying numbers of business-class seats. Generally, white-tail planes are those that were originally manufactured for a particular airline and later taken by another airline. The senior airline official said it will start reconfiguration of the aircraft having business class from April onwards. The carrier wants to offer only economy class se

IndiGo announces new flights to bolster accessibility across East, NE India

IndiGo airline on Friday announced a number of new flights and resumption of operations in its winter schedule to bolster connectivity to eastern and northeastern India. The airline announced additional frequencies on the Kolkata-Bangkok route. The new frequencies will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, starting from November 24, the airline said in a statement. With the new frequencies, the airline will have 11 weekly flights to Bangkok, sources in the airline said. The airline also announced new direct flights between Guwahati and Dimapur, and resumption of operations between Guwahati and Ahmedabad, operating daily from December 10. An IndiGo statement also said that from October 29, the airline has begun maiden direct flights connecting Agartala and Dibrugarh. The tri-weekly flights operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. According to the statement, these operations will bolster domestic connectivity and provide business and leisure travellers with ..

Crisis-hit SpiceJet's AGM for 2023-24 to be held on or before Dec 31

SpiceJet on Wednesday said the annual general meeting for 2023-24 will be held on or before December 31 as the company has been given up to three more months to conduct the meeting. The crisis-hit carrier, which had recently raised Rs 3,000 crore, said it had received emails from the BSE regarding the non-submission of the annual report for the financial year ended March 31, 2024. "In this regard, we wish to inform you that the company has obtained an extension of up to three (3) months from the Registrar of Companies under Section 96 of the Companies Act, 2013, for conducting the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the company for the financial year ended March 31, 2024," it said in a filing. Further, the airline said the AGM will be held on or before December 31, 2024, and the annual report for the 2023-24 fiscal will be sent to all stakeholders in terms of the Companies Act, 2013, read with Regulation 34 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015

Akasa posts Rs 1,670 cr loss in FY24; CFO says performance will be better

Akasa Air saw its loss widen to Rs 1,670.06 crore in the financial year ended March 2024 even as the airline's total income jumped to Rs 3,144.38 crore during the same period. The airline, which has been flying for over two years, had a loss after tax of Rs 744.53 crore in 2022-23, according to data accessed by business intelligence platform Tofler. At the end of March 2024, the carrier had a fleet of 24 planes and operated more than 110 flights daily. "On a standalone basis, the company achieved a total income of Rs 31,443.83 million for FY 2024 against previous year's total income of Rs 7,778.48 million. "The company reported a net loss of Rs 16,700.66 million for FY 2024 against a net loss of Rs 7,444.27 million for the previous year," SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd said in a filing to the corporate affairs ministry. SNV Aviation is the parent of Akasa Air. During 2023-24, the carrier's total expenditure climbed to Rs 4,814.44 crore as against Rs 1,522.27 crore in the same period a year

Ryanair H1 profit falls 18% on weaker fares, says price weakness moderating

Chief Financial Officer Neil Sorahan told Reuters that fare declines in the current quarter ending in December would likely be below 5 per cent

Police arrests Kerala man for hoax bomb threat to Air Arabia flight

A man was arrested for allegedly issuing a fake bomb threat to an Abu Dhabi-bound Air Arabia flight from Karipur international airport in this district, police said on Wednesday. The accused was identified as Mohammed Ijas (26) from neighbouring Palakkad district. According to Karipur police, the airport director, on Tuesday evening, received an email from Ijas claiming that a bomb was planted on the Air Arabia flight flying from Kozhikode to Abu Dhabi. Based on the complaint from airport authorities, the police launched an immediate investigation to identify the source of the threat and finally zeroed in on Ijas with the support of cyber police. "We immediately took him into custody from the airport. Actually, he was about to fly in the same flight to Dubai. He confessed to the crime and said his only intention was to cancel the flight," a police officer said. Ijas has some financial issues and he does not want to go to Dubai, he said. "He had to book the flight tickets under th

Mumbai airport to operate 3,372 flights per week in winter season

Mumbai Airport will see a marginal 2 per cent year-on-year increase at 3,372 flights per week flight movements this winter despite rising travel demand. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is all set to provide an extensive network of travel options for its passengers with 3,372 weekly flights--2,361 weekly domestic and 1,011 weekly international flights-- for the winter schedule 2024, the private airport operator said. Significantly, as per the winter schedule for the Indian Airlines announced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this month, the Indian airlines will operate 25,007 flights every week to and from 124 airports, which is 5.37 per cent more compared to the winter schedule of 2023. The winter schedule this year started from October 27, 2024 and will continue till March 29, 2025. With increased travel on both domestic and international routes, Mumbai Airport said it is expected to see around 4 per cent increase vis- -vis summe

Ahead of Vistara merger, Air India finalises revised policy for cabin crew

Ahead of the Vistara merger, Air India has finalised a revised policy for cabin crew members wherein layover allowances have been hiked and members will have to share rooms during layovers except for cabin executives, and those operating ultra-long haul flights. The revised policy has been prepared after taking into consideration the feedback of cabin crew members. Earlier, the policy had proposed room sharing for cabin crew members irrespective of whether the flight is normal, long haul or ultra long haul. The allowance for international layovers will be increased from USD 85-135 per layover night from USD 75-100, according to an internal communication of the airline. Under the new policy, cabin crew members will have to share rooms during layovers. However, cabin crew members of ultra-long haul flights will get single rooms during layovers as well as during unscheduled layovers in the event of a flight diversion, as per the internal communication. Generally, ultra-long haul flig

BTAC protocols tweaked to tackle hoax bomb calls to airlines: Report

Protocols for the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC), convened in the event of a bomb threat call to an aircraft or airport, have been tweaked to better tackle the spate of the ongoing "random" Internet-based threats being made to various Indian airlines, official sources said Tuesday. On Monday night, the BTAC that assembled at seven airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Pune, Mangalore, Bengaluru and Kozhikode declared as "hoax or non-specific" bomb threat messages sent to 30 flights belonging to three carriers -- Air India, Vistara and Indigo. The threat was assessed as "non specific" as it was found that one X handle posted these "bombs onboard" messages for 10 flights each of these three carriers between 10:46 and 11:42 PM. The protocol undertaken by the BTAC has been tweaked and a fine assessment, acting on a set of new 'red flags', is being undertaken now, the sources told PTI. The CISF and the respective airline security have also been asked to ensure "focussed" security .

Air India aims to double direct sales earnings in 2-3 years: CDTO

Air India is already investing heavily in digital marketing to boost direct sales and is working on enhancing its website

Bomb threat on 54 more flights; tally reaches 140 in just over a week

In just over a week, more than 140 domestic and international flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats

Govt to work on designing, manufacturing planes in India, says Naidu

The government will work towards designing and manufacturing aircraft in India with the help of the industry players, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday. The Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, which was passed by the Lok Sabha in August, includes provisions to regulate the design and manufacturing of aircraft, supporting the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. "We want to design and manufacture planes in India. We are taking help from HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) and NAL (National Aerospace Laboratories) and other industry partners we have. "In the foreseeable future, we want to also have a situation where we manufacture planes not for domestic demand only but also for the demand of the entire world... we are going to move towards it," the minister said. State-owned HAL is already into manufacturing small civilian planes but on a smaller scale. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and Indian carriers have more than 1,200 planes o

Boeing presents new proposal before union in hopes of ending strike

Boeing and the union representing striking machinists have negotiated a new contract proposal that would provide bigger pay raises and bonuses in a bid to end a costly walkout that has crippled production of airplanes for more than a month. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said early Saturday that it plans to hold a ratification vote on Wednesday. The union said the deal would increase pay by 35 per cent over four years, up from 30 per cent that was offered last month. It also boosts the ratification bonus to USD 7,000 per worker instead of USD 6,000. The new offer would not restore a traditional pension plan a key demand of the 33,000 striking workers but it would increase the amount of contributions to 401(k) retirement plans that Boeing would match and retain performance bonuses that Boeing wanted to eliminate, the union said. The fact the company has put forward an improved proposal is a testament to the resolve and dedication of the frontline

Airline companies' stocks recover from failed summer surge to hit 2022 high

The S&P Supercomposite Airlines Index is hovering around highs unseen since May 2022, poised to close Friday with its largest weekly gain since January of last year

Cathay Pacific unveils 'Aria Suite' to provide better in-flight experience

Seeking to provide an enhanced in-flight experience to its fliers, global airline Cathay Pacific will shortly launch retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which will include a new Business class -- Aria Suite, improved Premium Economy, and refreshed Economy class cabin. Unveiled at a recent function here, the retrofitted Boeing aircraft is configured in a three-class layout with a total of 361 seats, comprising 45 flat-bed Business, 48 Premium Economy, and 268 Economy seats. The new facility will be available on select routes of airlines from October itself and will be gradually expanded. "The customer experience is at the heart of the design and conception of the all-new Aria Suite. In addition to retaining some of the customers' favourite features of Cathay Pacific's existing Business class seats -- such as the reverse herringbone arrangement, a generous bed and ample storage -- Aria Suite features a range of innovations and enhancements to take the Business class experience to t

DGCA imposes penalty of Rs 30 lakh on Akasa Air for training lapses

Aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Akasa Air for certain lapses in training of crew, according to sources. "We acknowledge receipt of an order by the DGCA dated 17 October 2024. We are working closely with the regulator on this matter," an airline spokesperson said in a statement. The sources said the penalty has been imposed for certain training lapses. "For us at Akasa Air, safety is of the utmost importance, and we are committed to pursuing the highest global standards of safety," the statement said.

10 social media handles suspended for issuing hoax bomb threat to airliners

About 10 social media handles that issued hoax bomb threats to multiple Indian airliners this week have been suspended or blocked by cyber security agencies till now, official sources said Thursday. The sources told PTI that the handles were "analysed" by a joint team of cyber, aviation security and intelligence agencies following which orders were issued to suspend these accounts as they continued to issue "mindless" threats. Around 10 social media handles, majority of them on X, have been suspended or blocked since Monday, when these hoax bomb and terrorist attack threats started being sent to virtually all the Indian airliners for both their domestic and international route operations, the sources said. The agencies have also found some common lines and words used in these fake threats like "bombs", "blood will spread everywhere", "explosive devices", "this is not a joke" and "you will all die" and "bomb rakhwa dia hai" (Hindi for bomb has been placed) among others. The sources