Page 2 - Airlines

Qatar Airways to sell holdings in Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific for $896 mn

Qatar Airways will sell its stake in Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways in a share buyback valued at $896 million, the companies announced, ending the Qatari carrier's eight-year involvement with the airline. The announcement came late Wednesday in a stock market filing by Cathay Pacific, which saw its shares gain 4.2% on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Thursday. Under the agreement, Qatar Airways will sell all of its holdings, which represent 9.57% of Cathay Pacific stock. The airline's other major shareholders are Swire Pacific and Air China. The plan is subject to shareholder approval. The buy-back reflects our strong confidence in the future of the Cathay Group and underscores our commitment to the development of the Hong Kong international aviation hub," Cathay Group chairman Patrick Healy said in a statement announcing the sale. Qatar Airways, a state-owned airline flying out of the sprawling Hamad International Airport in Doha, did not acknowledge the sale itself. Howeve

Air India's Newark-bound plane returns to Mumbai following technical issue

A Newark-bound Air India flight, operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft, returned to Mumbai on Wednesday morning due to a technical issue. The Boeing 777 plane, which took off at around 1.50 am for Newark on Wednesday, was airborne for over three hours before returning to Mumbai, according to information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com. "The crew of flight AI191 operating from Mumbai to Newark on 22 October, made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a suspected technical issue. The flight landed safely back in Mumbai, and the aircraft is undergoing necessary inspections," the airline said in a statement. Air India said AI191 and AI144 (scheduled to operate from Newark to Mumbai) were cancelled. All affected passengers at Mumbai have been provided hotel accommodations and have been rebooked on alternative Air India and other airlines' flights to their destination. Details about the number of passengers were not disclosed. The passengers of AI144 from Newa

Power bank catches fire on Dimapur-bound IndiGo flight at Delhi airport

A passenger's power bank caught fire on board a Dimapur-bound IndiGo plane while taxiing at the Delhi airport on Sunday, with the cabin crew extinguishing the fire, sources said. No injuries were reported in the incident, and all passengers and crew on board were safe, IndiGo said. The airline said in a statement that flight 6E 2107 operating from Delhi to Dimapur, Nagaland, on October 19 returned to bay due to a minor fire triggered by a passenger's personal electronic equipment stored in the seat-back pocket on board. The sources said a power bank caught fire when the aircraft was taxiing at the airport. "The crew managed the situation quickly and diligently following the standard operating procedure and the incident was controlled within seconds," the statement said. Details about the number of passengers on board the flight were not available.

Chinese airlines protest US plan to ban flights over Russian airspace

China's biggest state-owned air carriers have hit back at a US proposal to bar them from flying over Russia when travelling to or from the US. The US side has said such flights give Chinese airlines an unfair cost advantage over American carriers, which cannot cross through Russian airspace. Moscow closed Russian airspace to US air carriers and most European airlines in 2022 in response to Western sanctions for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Air China, China Eastern and China Southern are among six Chinese airlines filing complaints over the order proposed last week to prohibit such flights by Chinese carriers. China Eastern said in its filing this week to the US Department of Transport that the proposed ban would harm the public interest" and "inconvenience travellers from both China and the US. The additional flight time would result in higher costs and elevated air fares, which increases the burden on all travellers, it said. China Southern warned that a Russian airspace ban woul

Cathay Pacific appoints Vinod Viswanathan as head of sales for India, Lanka

Cathay Pacific on Monday said it has appointed Vinod Viswanathan as its Regional Head of Trade Sales for India and Sri Lanka. The airline also announced the appointment of Piyuli Bhattacharjee as Regional Head of Marketing for SAMEA (South Asia, Middle East and Africa) and Arjun Bhatia as Regional Head of Corporate Sales for these regions. All these three key officials will be based at Cathay's regional headquarters in Mumbai, the airline said. Viswanathan, who brings over 15 years of experience in aviation, global distribution, corporate and leisure travel, in his new role, will focus on strengthening trade partnerships, driving strategic initiatives, and expanding Cathay's footprint across key markets. Apart from serving as Cathay's Regional Head of Corporate Sales for the region earlier, he has also performed senior leadership roles with Air Mauritius, Flight Centre Travel Group, British Airways, Oman Air, and Travelport, Cathay Pacific said. Bhattacharjee, in her new role, wil

Global airlines face $11 billion supply chain hit in 2025, says IATA

"Even if you halve the number, it's still a massive drag on the industry," Walsh said in an interview

K Rammohan Naidu asks airlines to ensure reasonable fares in festive season

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Friday held a review meeting with officials of airlines to assess their operational and technical performance, and asked them to keep airfares at reasonable levels during the festive season. Representatives of Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Alliance Air, Fly91, FlyBig and IndiaOne Air, among others, participated in the meeting. They presented their performance metrics, including action taken reports on security incidents and passenger grievances, according to an official release. During the meeting with the airline representatives that went on for more than five hours, Naidu emphasised that they should strictly adhere to safety protocols. The periodic meeting also came against the backdrop of two incidents involving Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Naidu asked airlines to adopt best practices in passenger convenience and service quality. "Detailed discussions were held with each airline on identifying ...

SpiceJet receives 3 new aircraft, kicking off major winter expansion

These new planes will join operations between October 10 and 11, marking the start of a major fleet ramp-up

Air India, Airbus set up joint venture pilot training facility in Haryana

Air India and Airbus have set up a joint venture training facility in Haryana that will train pilots of A320 and A350 family aircraft. The advanced pilot training centre at the Air India Aviation Training Academy will train more than 5,000 new pilots over the next decade, the airline said in a release on Tuesday. The equal joint venture facility, spread over 12,000 square metres, will have 10 full flight simulators along with advanced classrooms and briefing rooms. It was inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday. Currently, it has two full flight simulators for A320 family aircraft. The remaining six A320 simulators and two A350 simulators will be installed progressively. Jrgen Westermeier, President & Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said it is more than a joint venture. "It is a strategic investment in the future of the Indian aerospace industry itself. India is a strategic powerhouse for Airbus, and this state-of-the-art facility is a ...

Security threat on Delhi-bound IndiGo flight, cleared for ops after check

A security threat was noticed onboard IndiGo flight 6E 762 operating from Mumbai to Delhi

Deutsche Lufthansa to cut 4,000 jobs, raises profitability targets

The job reductions will occur through digitalization, automation and process consolidation, with a majority of reductions in Germany

Turkish Airlines to add 225 new Boeing aircraft after Erdogan's US visit

Turkish Airlines, Turkiye's national carrier, has announced plans to add 225 Boeing aircraft to its fleet. In a declaration to the Istanbul Stock Exchange on Friday, the airline said it has decided to purchase 75 Boeing B787-9 and B787-10 aircraft and has completed negotiations with Boeing to acquire 150 737-8/10MAX models. The announcement was made a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with US President Donald Trump in Washington. Turkish Airlines will place 50 confirmed and 25 optional orders for the B787-9 and B787-10 aircraft, scheduled for delivery between 2029 and 2034. The B787-9 and B787-10 are advanced, fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft designed for international travel, the airline said in a statement. The company is in negotiations with Rolls-Royce and GE Aerospace for the procurement of engines, spare parts and maintenance services for the aircraft, the statement said. Separately, Turkish Airlines said it has finalised negotiations with Boeing for 150

SpiceJet delays salaries of senior staff by 10-15 days, juniors unaffected

Employees earning up to ₹55,000 per month have received their August salaries, but higher-paid staff, mainly assistant managers and above, are experiencing delays of 10-15 days

Nepal airport to resume ops from 6 pm Wed; Indian airlines cancel flights

Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has announced that it will resume services from Wednesday evening, 24 hours after closing its operations due to violent anti-government protests. The announcement comes hours after the TIA authorities had earlier said the airport would remain closed until further notice following the massive violent protests across Nepal, leaving hundreds of foreign nationals stranded. In a notice on Wednesday evening, the TIA management has asked the passengers concerned to contact their respective airline companies for re-confirmation (of their flights). The flight operations would resume at 6 pm, the notice said. The decision to resume operations was made following a meeting of the airport's security committee on Wednesday, the notice said, adding, all domestic and international flights, which had been suspended since September 9, are now cleared to operate. Passengers have been advised to contact their respective airlines for updated flight schedul

Deutsche Lufthansa sees growth in leisure unit as airline struggles

While the post-Covid travel boom shows no sign of letting up, the core Lufthansa airline is still facing aircraft delays and labor strife that dented profits and margins last year

Qantas CEO, top executives lose $522,000 in pay for major cyber breach

Qantas detected the cyberattack on June 30, the last day of the financial year, and later found that personal information belonging to 5.7 million customers had been stolen

Trump admin scraps Biden-era plan of airlines paying for flight disruptions

The Trump administration on Thursday said it is abandoning a Biden-era plan that sought to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers with cash, lodging and meals for flight cancellations or changes caused by a carrier. The proposed rule would have aligned US policy more closely with European airline consumer protections. It was proposed last December in the final weeks of then-president Joe Biden's administration, leaving its fate in the hands of his Republican successor. In a document posted on Thursday, President Donald Trump's Transportation Department said its plan to scrap the proposed rule was consistent with Department and administration priorities". Industry trade group Airlines for America, a vocal critic of the proposal, said it would have driven up ticket prices for consumers. We are encouraged by this Department of Transportation reviewing unnecessary and burdensome regulations that exceed its authority and don't solve issues important to our customers," the gr

DGCA approves IndiGo's 6-month extension of agreement with Turkish Airlines

The airline added that the approval will help mitigate potential losses to the Indian aviation sector while ensuring uninterrupted international connectivity

Airlines cancelled 5,706 flights till June 30 this year: Govt tells RS

As many as 5,706 flights were cancelled due to regulatory and geopolitical issues this year till June 30, accounting for around 1 per cent of the total departures during the same period, according to official data. The data, provided by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday, covers flights of Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Alliance Air. There were a total of 5,706 flight cancellations due to regulatory and geopolitical issues this year till June 30. During this time, the number of flight departures stood at 5,72,079, as per the data. Mohol said airlines incur costs due to delays and cancellations, including additional fuel, crew overtime, maintenance, airport fees, and rebooking expenses. "Further, airlines are required to provide refunds or compensation to passengers for cancellations or significant delays. Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-June 2025 registered a grow

DGCA issues warning letter to Air India, seeks stricter compliance

Campbell, who is the CEO and MD, is also the Accountable Manager of the Tata Group-owned airline