Page 25 - Airlines

Looking at a mix of int'l destinations, not just West Asia: Akasa Air CEO

(Pilot row) one of the things we didn't plan for because it is unimaginable, says Vinay Dube

Airline dead set against no-poaching pact for pilots: Akasa Air CEO

Akasa Air might be slowly coming out of the turbulence caused by sudden pilots' exits but the airline's chief Vinay Dube is "dead set against" the idea of having any kind of no-poaching agreement between airlines, asserting that it will not be right. The airline, which has been flying for more than a year, has more than 450 pilots and the number will go up as it expands the fleet from 20 aircraft now. "We had about 330 pilots in April. Approximately, 40 went away without (serving) notice period or with one day, two days or less than 24 hours. Today, we have little over 450 pilots... between April and today, we have probably added about a third of additional pilots despite a small number leaving," Akasa Air Founder and CEO Vinay Dube told PTI. Following the sudden exit of pilots, many of whom apparently joined another carrier, Akasa Air had to cancel some flights in July and August. The carrier's market share also took a hit due to the cancellations. Also, the airline has initiated

Bengaluru-bound IndiGo flight returns to Singapore due to 'baggage error'

An IndiGo flight en route to Bengaluru returned to Singapore after take-off on Tuesday morning as the airline had forgotten to offload the baggage of passengers of an earlier flight. "We acknowledge the baggage error on the part of our service partner at Singapore airport with respect to flight 6E 1006 operating from Singapore to Bengaluru, due to which the flight returned to origin. The passengers were kept informed of the delay and served refreshments," the airline said in a statement. Some social media users complained about the incident. Tagging IndiGo, a user on X said, "Congratulations on achieving the impossible... Singapore Bengaluru flight at 5 40 am made to turn back coz you guys forgot to offload luggage from incoming flight". Another X user said there was mismanagement at Singapore airport. "@IndiGo6E horrible mismanagement at Singapore airport!6E1006 was in the air for 1.5 hours, from SIN to BLR, landed back in Singapore bec you all mixed up baggages of various ...

Spicejet, lessor reach interim settlement, next hearing in February

SpiceJet is supposed to pay over $2 million to the engine lessor by January according to settlement terms

Wadias likely to leave Go First, show no intent to bid for grounded airline

Cash-strapped Go First filed for bankruptcy in May, blaming 'faulty' Pratt & Whitney engines for the grounding of about half its fleet

Pilot licence now valid for 10 years, says civil aviation ministry

These licences will be issued to pilots at the time when their pilot's licence is up for renewal

Delhi HC allows Go First lessors to deploy security around aircraft

The order was passed on the lessors' plea to allow them to maintain their aircraft. The next hearing is on October 19

Malaysian carrier MyAirline abruptly suspends ops, passengers stranded

Malaysian budget carrier MyAirline abruptly suspended operations Thursday, citing financial pressures less than 11 months after it took to the skies. The unexpected announcement on social media caught many by surprise and left angry passengers stranded at the airport. The airline apologised for the extremely painful decision but said significant financial pressures made it necessary to temporarily halt operations pending shareholder restructuring and recapitalisation of the company. We have worked tirelessly to explore various partnership and capital raising options to prevent this suspension. Unfortunately, the constraints of time have left us with no alternative but to take this decision, its board of directors said in the statement. The move came just days after the airline said it was in advanced stages of finalising a strategic partnership. Local media reported that the suspension signalled that those talks may have collapsed. The airline began flights last December with a fle

India outpaces peers in recovery of int'l flight capacity, report reveals

Among the top ten international markets for India in August 2023, six have surpassed their pre-pandemic capacities

Jindal Power submits expression of interest for insolvent Go First

Go First's resolution professional invited EoIs for the carrier's sale in July. Sources have confirmed that JPL has filed an EoI for Go First in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)

Be selective in consumption stocks ahead of ICC World Cup, say analysts

Headwinds for the airlines and QSR sectors, analysts believe, could outweigh the positives in the form of a demand uptick

Air India to open second hub in south India in a bid to improve operations

The hub may come up in Bengaluru or Hyderabad and will work primarily to strengthen its operation in Mumbai

Air India Kochi-Gatwick flight gets cancelled due to technical fault

An Air India flight from Kochi to Gatwick was on Sunday cancelled following a technical fault in the aircraft that was noticed just minutes before it was set to take off, an airline source said. The AI 149 flight, which was scheduled to take off with 252 passengers on board at 2.15 pm, returned from the taxiway at 2.30 pm and everyone was deboarded as the aircraft was checked for the cause of the technical fault, the airline source said. As the aircraft was not found fit to undertake the flight today, it was cancelled and those not wishing to reschedule their trip or avail of seats in other airlines were issued a full refund and an appropriate monetary compensation, the source said. "We are trying to accommodate passengers (those who do not want to cancel their tickets) on other airlines and have arranged hotel accommodations for them as well as those who are unable to return to their homes today," the source said. "Since Air India accords top priority to safety issues, our ...

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy would reduce airlines' costs

There could be a more than $100 billion global market for such medicines, with sales climbing quickly through the end of the decade

COAI demands deadline for airlines to phase out radios, seeks 5G services

Telecom industry body COAI has written to the civil aviation ministry seeking a strict deadline for phasing out old altimeters used by Indian airlines as that will help in rolling out 5G service in areas around airports. Aviation regulator DGCA has imposed restrictions on the rollout of 5G services in mid-frequency range of 3.3 GHz band due to apprehensions that the wireless signals may interfere with those of the radio altimeters used by aircraft. Altimeters determine altitude of aircraft and any interference could lead to wrong readings that could also jeopardise the movement of a plane. Against this backdrop, the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), whose members include BhartiAirtel and Reliance Jio, has written to Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam seeking his intervention with respect to the curbs imposed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The industry body has said the DGCA should mandate all airlines to phase out non-conforming radio .

Air India crafts action plan to resolve spectrum of pilot concerns

In light of pilots identifying errors in flight plans, the airline will randomly scrutinise five per cent of dispatched flight plans for enhanced oversight

Bombay HC allows Akasa Air to proceed with case against pilots in Mumbai

Justice SM Modak said that the actions rose within its jurisdiction as resignations were accepted by the company in Mumbai

Vietnam's Vietjet to launch more services to India to tap growing interest

As Vietnam is largely becoming an emerging tourism destination for Indian travellers, Vietjet, the country's largest private carrier, is getting ready to tap this growing interest by expanding its service to India connecting more cities. A new route connecting Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) and Ho Chi Minh City is expected to be launched this November, airline authorities said here. Direct flight services from Kerala's Kochi to Ho Chi Minh City had already been launched by the private carrier from Cochin International Airport in August. A senior airline official said here that Vietjet currently has 32 return flights servicing India each week. "From November, Vietjet is expected to launch a new route connecting Tiruchirappalli and Ho Chi Minh City and we have plans to have an initial frequency of three return flights per week, in order to meet rising demand from travellers in both countries," the official, who doesn't want to be named, said. Vietjet would like to eventually expand it

Go First says airline's revival could be derailed by lessors' demands

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Capital and ACG Aircraft Leasing recently sought a Delhi court's intervention by complaining some parts had been allegedly "robbed" or the jets were corroding

Former Akasa pilots challenge maintainability of lawsuits filed by airline

The pilots contend that since their employment contracts were signed in Delhi, the case should fall under the jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court