Page 4 - Airline Industry

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

Agencies actively pursuing bomb threat cases: Aviation Minister Naidu

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu also said the Mumbai police have arrested a minor responsible for issuing bomb threats targeting three flights

Boeing closes in on plans to raise $15 bn via stock, hybrid bonds

The company on Tuesday said in regulatory filings that it could raise as much as $25 billion in stock and debt with its investment-grade credit rating at risk

Airbus deliveries fall to 50 aircrafts in Sep, books fresh demand of 200

Airbus is targeting 770 deliveries for the full year after reducing its goal from 800 jets in July, citing shortages of engines and other parts

Airport systems effective, will take time to achieve full normalcy: IndiGo

Earlier today, IndiGo said that it is facing a temporary system slowdown across its network, which is affecting its website and bookings

Plutus Wealth increases shareholding in SpiceJet, buys Rs 50 cr worth share

Plutus Wealth Management on Tuesday raised its holding in domestic carrier SpiceJet by acquiring additional shares for Rs 50 crore through an open market transaction. According to the bulk deal available with the BSE, Plutus Wealth Management purchased 75 lakh shares or 0.58 per cent stake in Gurugram-headquartered SpiceJet. The shares were bought at an average price of Rs 66.70 apiece, taking the transaction value to Rs 50.02 crore. Details of sellers of SpiceJet's shares could not be identified on the BSE. Shares of SpiceJet jumped 6.95 per cent to close at Rs 68.13 apiece on the BSE. On Monday, Plutus Wealth Management bought 85 lakh shares, amounting to a 0.66 per cent stake in domestic carrier SpiceJet for Rs 51 crore.

Delhi HC asks SpiceJet to respond to execution petition on engines return

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked low-cost airline SpiceJet to file its reply to a petition seeking execution of an order directing it to ground three aircraft engines and hand those over to their lessors. The court also asked the airline to file an affidavit listing out its assets and posted the execution petition for further hearing on November 13. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora also issued a court notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), with a direction to its competent officer to remain present in the court on November 13, along with a status report confirming due compliance of the court's August 14 order. The court said in its status report, the DGCA will mention the status of the re-delivery of the engines. The high court had, in its August 14 order, directed SpiceJet to ground the three engines by August 16 and hand those over to their lessors within 15 days. The single-judge bench had directed the airline to offer prior inspection of the engines

Shankh Air: Uttar Pradesh-based new airline gets Centre's nod, says report

Shankh Air, India's newest airline has got approval from the Aviation Ministry to start its operation. UP's first scheduled airline has planned its base at the Noida International Airport in Jewar

Air India hired 9,000 employees in two years to meet needs: Airline chief

Air India has hired 9,000 employees, including 5,000 crew members, in the last two years to meet the workforce requirement for its expanding fleet and network, the airline's chief Campbell Wilson said on Friday. In a message to staff, he said the airline's domestic market share rose from 24 per cent in FY23 to 27 per cent in FY24 and the international market share climbed from 21 per cent to 24 per cent during the same period, on the back of network expansion and service improvements. The airline has completed two years of its five-year ambitious transformation plan Vihaan.AI. On a consolidated basis, the Tata Group-owned airline recorded a 25 per cent rise in operating revenues and a more than 50 per cent reduction in loss in the last financial year. "When we consider that the FY in question covered only the early part of our transformation program, before most of the initiatives we have been working on were implemented, these early results should encourage us that the effort is .

Passengers protest at airport as SpiceJet cancels Delhi-Darbhanga flight

SpiceJet on Saturday cancelled its flight from the national capital to Darbhanga, triggering protests by passengers at the Delhi airport. A video of passengers protesting and shouting slogans at the airport was shared on social media. In a statement, an airline spokesperson said its flight SG 495 from Delhi to Darbhanga was cancelled due to unforeseen operational reasons and apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passengers. The airline has offered passengers the option of a full refund or alternative flight arrangements to Darbhanga on the following day.

DGCA frames stricter norms for wet-leased plane ops by Indian airlines

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday proposed stricter norms for the oversight of wet-leased planes operated by Indian airlines. Faced with the grounding of a significant number of planes due to engine and supply chain woes, domestic carriers are utilising more wet-leased aircraft as a short-term measure to cater to rising air traffic demand. The watchdog has issued a draft for public consultation on the revised Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on wet/damp lease operations by Indian operators to strengthen the regulatory framework for safety oversight of wet/damp lease operations. Wet lease of an aircraft by an Indian carrier involves the leasing of foreign aircraft, along with crew, maintenance and insurance. The plane is also under the operational control of the foreign operator (lessor) and subject to regulatory requirements of the foreign civil aviation authority concerned. The safety oversight of such operations is also under the purview of the foreign

Airlines' group IATA flags concerns over rise in airport charges in India

Global airlines' grouping IATA on Wednesday flagged concerns about a significant increase in airport charges in India and suggested having regulations to ensure all costs can be controlled in a way that will allow more people to travel by air. In India, tariffs for major airports are approved by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and in recent times, charges at some airports have gone up. Emphasising that countries should be careful around airport charges, IATA Director General Willie Walsh on Wednesday said after privatisation of some airports, "there has been an automatic increase in charges in what we have witnessed in India". "India needs to be congratulated for the investment infrastructure in recent years which will pay dividends but only if costs are controlled. At the moment, we continue to be concerned around the very significant increase in airport charges in India...," he said. He also mentioned that IATA has concerns about airport charges in a number of .

IndiGo pays reduced Rs 70 lakh fine to BCAS over Mumbai airport incident

IndiGo has paid the reduced penalty of Rs 70 lakh imposed by regulator BCAS on the airline in connection with the incident of passengers having food on the Mumbai airport tarmac in January this year. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 crore on the airline on January 18 for the incident that happened on January 14. In a filing to the BSE on Tuesday, IndiGo said that pursuant to an appeal, BCAS reduced the penalty to Rs 70 lakh through an order dated August 12. "There is a delay in submission of the disclosure within prescribed timelines since the company was in the process of reviewing the legal remedies available against the order. Post review, the Company has paid the revised/reduced penalty amount to BCAS on September 10, 2024," the filing said. Many passengers rushed out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, sat on the tarmac, and some were also seen having food there as soon as their diverted Goa-Delhi flight landed after a long del

Carlyle Aviation will write off $40 million of lease arrears: SpiceJet

The write-off comes days after the airline said it will convert dues to Carlyle Aviation into equity and debentures

IndiGo cofounder Gangwal sells $1.3 bn worth stake near record high

Gangwal has a fortune of $6.9 billion after adding $1.8 billion this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with one-third of that move coming in the past 10 days alone

DGCA slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on Air India Express for not paying compensation

Aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Air India Express for non-payment of compensation to passengers for cancelled flights. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out an inspection as per Annual Surveillance Programme (ASP) 2024 of scheduled domestic operators in June. This was in respect of norms pertaining to facilities and compensation that are to be provided to passengers. "During the surveillance inspection of the airlines, it was observed that Air India Express was not complying with the provisions of CAR Section-3, Series M, Part IV," DGCA said in a release. Subsequently, a show cause notice was issued to Air India Express. The regulator said the airline's reply revealed that it had not complied with the provisions for providing compensation to passengers affected due to cancellation of flights. For the violations, DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India Express. Specific details about the violations could not

Govt open to resolve $3.9 billion tax dispute with Infosys, says report

Authorities are exploring options to settle with companies including Infosys, which last month got hit by a demand for Rs 32,403 crore ($3.9 billion) in back taxes dating back to 2017

Man opens plane's door, walks on wing at Australian airport, police arrest

A passenger was arrested at an Australian airport after he left a stationary airliner through an emergency exit, walked along a wing, and then climbed down a jet engine to the tarmac on Thursday, officials said. Jetstar Flight JQ507 had arrived at Melbourne Airport from Sydney and had parked at a terminal gate when the man left the plane by the right-side exit, officials said. Opening the exit automatically deployed a slide from the back of the wing at the fuselage to the ground, a Jetstar statement said. But the man instead walked along the wing and climbed down one of the Airbus A320's two engines, an official said. Passenger Audrey Varghese said passengers screamed and shrieked as the man began erratic behaviour shortly before he opened the hatch. The man was exhibiting some quite strange behaviour, Varghese told Melbourne Radio 3AW. "As soon as the plane had started coming to a stop, he immediately got up and basically charged to where the emergency exit row is, and in the pro