Page 7 - Airline Industry

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.

India may glide to third spot in airline seat capacity in second quarter

India's projected airline seat capacity in Q2 of 2024 is far higher than that of Japan, Spain, UK, Italy, Germany, Indonesia and Turkey

AAI expects net profit of Rs 3,257.28 cr in 2023-24, highest in 8 yrs

As the passenger footfalls are rising across the country, the AAI is expecting a substantial increase in the concession fees from eight privatized airports in India

US opens criminal investigation into Boeing 737 Max midair blowout in Jan

"In an event like this, it's normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation," Alaska Airlines said Saturday in a statement. "We are fully cooperating and do not believe we are a target"

HC sends show-cause notice to Go First official over maintenance issues

The Delhi High Court has issued a show-cause notice to the resolution professional of crisis-hit 'Go First' airline, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for prima facie willfully disobeying judicial orders on allowing inspection and maintenance of lessors' aircraft. The high court said the RP (Resolution Professional) cannot plead difficulties in the implementation of the October 12, 2023, judgment after contempt proceedings have been filed by a lessor seeking to enforce court orders. "Prima facie, the orders of this court have been wilfully disobeyed by the respondent/ RP. Issue notice to show cause as to why proceedings of contempt be not initiated...," Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju said. The counsel for the RP submitted that he was willing to revert to the position regarding the maintenance of the aircraft. The court listed the matter for further hearing on March 15. It was hearing a petition filed by one of the lessors DAE (SY22) 13 Ireland Design

Manoj Chacko's Fly 91 gets air operator permit, routes under UDAN scheme

Goa-based regional airline FLY91 on Wednesday received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from aviation regulator DGCA. The carrier has now completed all the compliance requirements and will start commercial operations soon, it said in a release. FLY91 received its first ATR 72-600, one of the two aircraft leased from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, last week. The airline has already been allocated its first set of routes under the government's regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, the release said. Under UDAN, the airline will connect Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, Nanded in Maharashtra and Agatti in Lakshadweep. FLY91 (Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd) is headquartered in Goa.

'Scarred' and 'egregious': Global lessors frustrated by Go First case

Lombardi noted that the process of reclaiming planes has shown gradual improvement since the bankruptcy of Kingfisher Airlines, through Jet Airways' insolvency, and onward

Qantas A350 delivery delayed due to redesigning of extra fuel tank: Airbus

Airbus says regulator has asked for design changes

Post-pandemic recovery fuels robust attendance, hopes at Singapore Airshow

About 50,000 trade delegates attend Singapore Airshow, the most since 2018

Akasa Air to operate first international flight to Doha on March 28

Currently, 68 flights per week are operated by four carriers between Mumbai and Doha

Nearly 500,000 passengers affected due to flight delays in Jan 2024: DGCA

A whopping 4.82 lakh passengers were affected due to delayed flights (beyond two hours) in January this year, forcing the airlines to shell out Rs 3.69 crore towards facilitation, according to the DGCA monthly traffic data released on Thursday. At the same time, domestic passenger traffic grew 4.69 per cent in January to 1.31 crore over the same month of last year, according to the DGCA. The domestic passenger traffic for January 2023 was recorded at 1.25 crore. In addition to delays, some 1,374 passengers were denied boarding in the previous month by the various airlines, resulting in a spend of Rs 1.28 crore in compensation other than providing alternate flights and accommodation, refreshments and meals, according to data. In addition to this, the airlines also coughed up Rs 1.43 crore, along with offering refund and re-bookings to the 68,362 passengers whose flights were cancelled during the month, as per the DGCA data. On the domestic passenger traffic front, no-frills carrier

NCLT extends deadline for Go First's insolvency for another 60 days

The three parties who have expressed interest in the airline are expected to submit their resolution plan for the airline's revival by February 15

Domestic air traffic down 5%, international traffic up 1% in January

Average daily international air traffic increased by 1.28 per cent MoM to 212,479 in January as foreign tourists continue to come amid the peak travel season that is expected to go on till March

IndiGo likely to induct a few B737 Max aircraft for the first time

Wet leasing Max planes being considered as about 20% fleet is grounded due to Pratt and Whitney engine issues

Laser strikes against aircraft including planes surged to new record: FAA

Laser strikes aimed at aircraft including airline planes surged 41% last year to a record high, according to federal officials. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it received 13,304 reports from pilots about laser strikes last year, erasing a record set in 2021. Aiming a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety hazard that puts everyone on the plane and on the ground at risk, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a video posted by the agency. The FAA said pilots have reported 313 injuries since the agency started keeping records in 2010. Each of the last five months of 2023 surpassed the previous high month, November 2021. The full-year rise over 2022 numbers easily topped the 28% increase in reported incidents from 2016 to 2022. Authorities blame the surge in attacks on factors including the widespread sale of inexpensive lasers in stores and online, stronger devices that can hit planes at higher altitudes, and the increased awareness among pilots to report

Air India operating 41% more flights since Tata takeover, shows data

The emphasis on international expansion for Air India is driven by higher demand and more lucrative opportunities in that segment

'Highly confident' Akasa Air to bring 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on board

In 2021, Akasa Air initially ordered 72 MAX planes from Boeing and then expanded the order to 76 in 2023. Of these, 22 have been delivered, with the remaining 54 due by mid-2027

Fog-induced chaos: Regulators impose fines on 3 airlines, Mumbai airport

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) imposed a total fine of Rs 2.7 crore on the aforementioned four major aviation sector players in India

Boeing picks retired admiral to lead team for safety review of planes

Boeing named a retired Navy admiral as a special adviser on matters including quality of work done at suppliers as the aircraft maker responds to a midflight blowout aboard one of its planes this month. Boeing CEO David Calhoun said he asked Kirkland Donald to a team that will make recommendations to improve oversight of quality in the company's factories and those of its suppliers. Before retiring from the military, Donald was the director of the Navy's nuclear-propulsion programme for eight years. He is chairman of shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries. The retired admiral's appointment was announced a day after the company said it would increase quality inspections on its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes following an accident on an Alaska Airlines jet. A plug used to fill a spot for an emergency exit blew out while the plane flew over Oregon on January 5. The inspections come after Federal regulators grounded most Max 9 jets, including all those used by Alaska and United Airlines. A

'Hope airfares come to right sweet spot,' says Vistara's chief Vinod Kannan

Emphasising that airfare is a function of supply and demand, full-service carrier Vistara's chief Vinod Kannan has expressed hope that ticket prices will come to the "right sweet spot where customers will travel and airlines can make money". Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, currently, operates around 320 flights daily. To a query on concerns in certain quarters about air ticket prices going irrationally high, the airline CEO said the thing with airfares is that people complain when it goes high and no one compliments when it goes down. "There are times in the year due to seasonality...our fares in 2023 were even lower than 2022," he noted. During an interaction with PTI, Kannan said that certain measures are in place to ensure that airfares are not irrational, especially when there are natural calamities or when something unfortunate happens. In such situations, "we want to make sure that it is not a price-gouging opportunity," he said. "If you