Page 4 - Airline Industry

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

DGCA suspends approval of Bhopal-based International Aircraft Sales

Aviation regulator DGCA has suspended the approval for Bhopal-based aircraft maintenance organisation International Aircraft Sales Pvt Ltd following concerns over its compliance with regulatory standards. The decision follows an audit of the entity that was done after an aircraft crashed due to engine failure at Guna in Madhya Pradesh on August 11. The Cessna 152 aircraft VT-BBB of Belagavi Aviation and Sport Enterprises that had crashed was powered by the engine whose overhaul was done at the International Aircraft Sales, according to a release. It was also the first flight operated with the overhauled engine. Following the crash, DGCA conducted a special audit. "The findings of the audit have raised serious concerns on the maintenance standards being followed by the organisation," DGCA said in the release on Thursday. In view of the significant safety concerns, the regulator said the maintenance organisation approval of International Aircraft Sales has been suspended with immed

IndiGo to challenge order imposing penalties related to input tax credit

Leading airline IndiGo on Wednesday said it will contest two orders imposing penalties totalling Rs 3,50,299 on the company in relation to input tax credit. In Odisha, a penalty of Rs 1,77,046 was imposed on the company related to Goods and Services Tax (GST). "The appellate authority has rejected the appeal filed by the company and upheld demand on account of availment of input tax credit for FY 2017-18," InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of IndiGo, said in a regulatory filing. According to the filing, IndiGo is in the process of contesting the appeal order before the appellate tribunal. Separately, in Kerala, the company is facing a penalty of Rs 1,73,253, with the filing saying "the tax officer has denied input tax credit availed and has raised a demand on the company". In this case, the company said it is in the process of contesting the orders before the appropriate appellate authority.

Alaska Air clears big hurdle in its proposed merger with Hawaiian Airlines

Alaska Air is one step closer to acquiring Hawaiian Airlines after the US Department of Justice chose not to challenge the USD 1.9 billion deal that the carriers say will create a company better able to serve travellers. Alaska Air announced in December that it would pay USD 18 in cash for each share of Hawaiian. The deal includes USD 900 million in debt held by Hawaiian Airlines. The brands of both airlines would be preserved after the merger, which is unique in an industry where decades of acquisitions have left only four big carriers dominating the US market. Alaska and Hawaiian say they have few overlapping routes and the intent of a tie-up is to allow the new airline to better compete with the nation's Big Four: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Alaska Air and Hawaiian Holdings, the parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, said in regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday that the review period for the Justice

Airfares increase up to 25% for Diwali, Onam festival season travel

Airfares are heading northwards for the festival season, with the average one-way ticket price on key domestic routes being 10-15 per cent more for Diwali and 20-25 per cent higher for certain flights to Kerala cities for Onam, according to an analysis. An analysis done by travel portal ixigo for PTI showed that the average one-way economy class fare for non-stop flight on Delhi-Chennai route during October 30-November 5 period is 25 per cent higher at Rs 7,618. This is in comparison to the fare during November 10-16 period last year. For the given comparison period, the ticket price is 21 per cent more at Rs 5,162 on Mumbai-Hyderabad route and 19 per cent higher at Rs 5,999 and at Rs 4,930 on Delhi-Goa and Delhi-Ahmedabad routes, respectively. On certain other routes, fares are higher in the range of 1-16 per cent, as per the analysis. ixigo's Group Co-CEO Rajnish Kumar said travel demand for Diwali is on the rise with airfares higher than last year. "Popular routes like ...