Page 6 - Airline Sector

Air India to start Delhi-Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam flights from June 1

Air India will start direct flights from the national capital to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam from June 1. The airline will use A320 neo aircraft with a two-class configuration to operate the flights five days a week -- Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, according to a release on Wednesday. The flights will commence from June 1. "The new service will also enable convenient one-stop connections to Vietnam via Delhi for travellers from the US, Canada, UK, and Europe," the release said. Currently, Air India flies non-stop flights to Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket (Thailand), and Yangon (Myanmar).

Air India plans to send narrow body A320 pilots on deputation to Vistara

Tata Group-owned Air India is planning to send a set of first officers who can operate the narrow body A320 family planes to Vistara, which is grappling with pilot woes, according to multiple sources. The pilots will be send to Vistara on deputation, subject to getting necessary regulatory approvals. Air India and Vistara did not offer any comments. The sources told PTI that some first officers who can operate A320 family planes will be send to Vistara on deputation. Two of the sources said the number of narrow body pilots likely to be deputed to Vistara could be a little over 30. One of the sources said it will be the first time that pilots from Air India will be deputed to Vistara for operating narrow body aircraft. For operating Vistara's wide body Boeing 787 planes, around 24 pilots are already on deputation from Air India. They include 16 commanders and eight first officers, the source said. Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has cut its

A-I takes cognizance of fabric issues flagged in new cabin crew uniforms

Air India has received feedback on the new cabin crew uniforms, including about fabric issues, and will soon start their production for all the cabin crew after taking into consideration the inputs, according to people in the know. In December, the Tata Group-owned airline unveiled the new uniforms, designed by Manish Malhotra, for its cabin and cockpit crew. Initially, the uniforms were introduced with much fanfare for crew members of the carrier's A350 aircraft. When contacted, an Air India spokesperson on Monday said production programme for the uniforms for all its cabin crew members will start in about a week's time. Two persons in the know said there are some issues with the fabric used for the new uniforms, including that colour was fading fast. Another person said the feedback on the uniforms will be taken into consideration before starting production for all crew members. "Air India can confirm that the uniform sizing and production programme for our over 8,000-strong ca

Airlines struggle with lack of planes ahead of summer travel surge

Boeing is reeling from a sprawling crisis that erupted after the January 5 Alaska Airlines blowout.

Air India, BIAL sign MoU to develop Bengaluru as premier aviation hub

The partnership is aimed at expanding air connectivity as well as building maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities at the Bengaluru airport

Out on a wing

HR management is the key in the airline business

Ombudsman for aviation sector is a good idea: Air India CEO Campbell Wilson

The MoCA spokesperson had on March 18 said the ministry will call a meeting to "compile" the views of stakeholders and review the proposal regarding Ombudsman

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

Air India lays off over 180 non-flying staff as part of fitment process

Air India has laid off more than 180 non-flying staff in recent weeks, sources said while the airline maintained that the affected people were not able to utilise the voluntary retirement schemes and reskilling opportunities. The loss-making Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in January 2022 and since then, efforts are being made to streamline the business model. An Air India spokesperson on Friday said that as part of the fitment process, employees in non-flying functions have been assigned roles based on organisational needs and individual merit. "A comprehensive process has been followed to assess the suitability of all employees over the past 18 months. During this phase, there have also been multiple Voluntary Retirement Schemes and reskilling opportunities offered to employees. "However, for less than 1 per cent of our employee base who have not been able to utilise VRS or reskilling opportunities, we have to part ways. We are honouring all contractual obligations dur

Indian airlines shouldn't gamble with stricter safety

India's aviation industry needs to embrace these rules quickly with the understanding that safer skies and a greater emphasis on working conditions can only help business and lure more customers

Team of 80 people harmonising ops of 4 Tata airlines: Air India CEO

The Tata Group is consolidating its aviation business and merging four airlines into two

Delhi HC issues contempt notice to Go First RP over maintenance of aircraft

Go First RP had earlier cited lack of funds for the inability to retain aircraft maintenance staff

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

Not looking to acquire stake in Indian carriers: Malaysian carrier AirAsia

Budget airline flies to 14 Indian cities from Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, plans to expand service in India

Canada's Lynx Air to shut down, leaving no clarity for customers on refunds

Canadian discount airline Lynx Air will shut down on Monday and suggested that it could cancel many flights over the weekend too, leaving customers scrambling to make new travel plans. Lynx announced the shutdown late Thursday and told customers to contact their credit-card company about getting a refund for cancelled flights. The Calgary, Alberta, airline said it could not help with refunds. Canada's transport minister, Pablo Rodriguez, said he was following Lynx's announcement that it was filing for restructuring. He said he expected Lynx to help passengers get home and fully refund customers. The shutdown will take effect early Monday. On its website, the airline said, we will continue to operate the majority of our flights through this weekend. The airline said it put tremendous work into growth after launching the Lynx brand two years ago, but that inflation, fuel costs, competition and other factors have ultimately proven too steep a mountain for our organisation to ...

Flying high: Big spike in airfares, demand for hotels during Holi week

Holi falls on March 25 this year, whereas it was celebrated on March 8 last year

SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh and Busy Bee Airways jointly bid for Go First

Sharjah-Based Sky One Also Bids for the Insolvent Airline

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

EasyJet sees smaller loss, strong summer despite West Asia instability

EasyJet said it was able to mitigate the impact of the war in Gaza thanks to capacity growth in areas where demand was rising, and that bookings had recovered since late November