Page 33 - Airlines

Unmanned check-in counters causing congestion at airports, says govt

Airlines ask passengers to arrive early to ensure 'smooth' security check

Arrive early, carry just 1 hand bag: Airlines to passengers amid congestion

With passengers continuing to experience long waiting hours at Delhi and other airports, airlines have asked them to reach early, do web check-in and carry only one piece of hand baggage for faster movement. The country's largest airline IndiGo has asked passengers to reach Delhi airport at least 3.5 hours prior to domestic departures. In recent weeks, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital has been witnessing long queues and crowds amid rising air traffic. Authorities have put in place an action plan, including reducing the number of flights during peak hours, to deal with the situation. Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also inspected the arrangements at the airport here on Monday. Amid congestion, Vistara is asking its passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to domestic as well as international flights. Delhi airport is experiencing high footfalls and the check-in and boarding time is expected to be longer

Vistara inaugurates daily, non-stop flights from Mumbai to Muscat

Full service carrier Vistara on Monday launched daily, non-stop flights from Mumbai to Muscat, a move that will see the airline expand its footprint in the lucrative Middle East region. The inaugural flight departed from Mumbai at 2000 hours (IST) and arrived in Muscat at 2135 hours. Muscat is the fourth destination in the Gulf region for Vistara, which is a joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines. The airline said there has been a consistent rise in passenger volumes and demand from the Gulf countries, paving way for the airline to bolster its presence in the region. Muscat is the third Gulf city (Abu Dhabi and Jeddah being the other two) that Vistara has added to its network in the last four months. Vistara also operates daily flights to Dubai to/from Mumbai. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said the launch of operations to Muscat is in line with the airline's goal to steadily enhance its footprint in the Middle East. The firm bilateral relationsh

SpiceJet expects improvement in operations in December quarter: Ajay Singh

SpiceJet, which is looking to raise USD 200 million, expects to see improvement in operations and restructuring benefits in the current quarter of this financial year. The budget carrier's chief Ajay Singh has told shareholders that it has also completed a series of settlements with most of the major partners, including manufacturers and lessors. Hit by high fuel prices and rupee depreciation, SpiceJet saw its net loss widen to Rs 789 crore in the June quarter. The airline is also facing other headwinds, including some of its aircraft having technical snags in recent times, and quite a few of its Boeing 737 planes were deregistered due to non-payment of dues to lessors. In his message in the airline's annual report for 2021-22 fiscal, Singh, who is the Chairman and Managing Director, said the airline industry worldwide continues to undergo a transformation. "The sky-high fuel prices, depreciating rupee, erratic passenger demand and disrupted supply chains have deferred growth plans

Go First inducts 55th A320 neo; to receive engines from P&W soon

Go First, which is facing multiple headwinds, has received an additional Rs 400 crore under a government scheme and expects to operate more planes once it gets 16 new P&W engines in the coming weeks, according to officials. The no-frills carrier has at least 25 planes on the ground, mainly due to the non-availability of Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines that power its A320 fleet. With many aircraft remaining non-operational, the airline is also grappling with flight delays and rescheduling of departure timings. Further, its On-Time Performance (OTP) has taken a beating. A government official said the airline availed an additional Rs 400 crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) this month. Go First, which can take up to Rs 1,500 crore under the scheme, has so far availed at least a total of Rs 800 crore. A Go First spokesperson said that 25-26 planes are on the ground and currently, 32 aircraft are operational. The airline is in active discussions with ...

Domestic airlines flew 409,831 passengers on Sunday, highest since May 2020

Air traffic touches nearly 96 per cent of pre-Covid level

Jet Airways lenders may sell 11 aircraft in absence of resolution: Report

Lenders said that even one-and-a-half years after the resolution plan was approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), the Jalan-Kalrock consortium has failed to pay the required amount

Air India to introduce premium economy class in some long haul flights: CEO

Air India will be introducing premium economy class in some of its long haul international flights next month, its chief Campbell Wilson said on Saturday as the Tata group-owned airline works on ways to expand its market share as well as the global network. In his speech at an event by the JRD Tata Memorial Trust here, Wilson said the airline will increase its market share to at least 30 per cent in domestic and international routes. The airline is implementing a long-term revival plan and over the next five years, it aims to grow its wide-body and narrow-body fleet as well as expand the global network. "The short-term actions have been to replace carpets, curtains, seat cushions and covers. To fix defective seats and inflight entertainment systems as fast as supply chains will allow. And where parts are no longer available in the market, to work with the likes of Tata Technologies to design and manufacture parts ourselves. "We've recently completely revamped the domestic inflight

Tata Group to own 75% stake and SIA 25% in the merged entity: Report

The Air India-Vistara merger is expected to be completed within a year after getting all approvals

Year-end fares go through the roof as airlines fly on low capacity

More than 75 planes are grounded; Goa to see 11% fewer flights in December

Civil aviation ministry to amend slot allocation guidelines for airlines

The civil aviation ministry is planning to amend the guidelines for the allocation of slots for airlines, wherein it has proposed to review the allocation every six months. A slot authorises an airline to operate a flight at a particular airport during a specific time. Under the proposal, the ministry has proposed changing the frequency of review of the slot allocation every six months from the current practice of one year. As per the proposed change, "historic precedence is only granted for a series of slots if the airline can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the coordinators that the series was operated at least 80 per cent of the time during the period allocated in the previous season". The ministry has sought comments on the proposal till November 28, according to a communication on its website. The country's civil aviation sector is slowly coming back to normal after being significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tata Group plans to merge carriers under Air India, scrap Vistara brand

Tata is considering scrapping Vistara brand, Singapore Airlines Ltd's local affiliate in South Asian nation; Singapore Airlines is evaluating the size of stake it should take in the combined entity

Airport slots for next season to be based on this season's usage: Govt

Usage of slots for more than 80 per cent of time in the previous winter season decides whether an airline would get the same slot again in the current winter season

Udan levy on airlines to double from Jan due to inflation, route expansion

The official added that a 20 per cent contribution from state governments to the regional connectivity fund had been factored in while proposing the hike

2 in 3 travellers want pre-pandemic govt fare caps back as air-fares soar

A recent survey by LocalCircles reveals that soaring airfares have worried travellers and two out of three fliers want the government to bring back an upper and lower limit on air-fares

IndiGo, Go First weighed down by grounded planes and engine shortages

IndiGo confirms 30 planes on ground, plots alternate strategies for capacity growth

Pet-friendly travel picks up in India as airlines, hotels feed into demand

The pandemic has further fuelled the trend as travelling with pets picked up during the period

China's daily Covid cases jump to six-month high as outbreaks flare

The country reported 5,436 cases for Sunday, up 27% from the day before to the most since May 2, when Shanghai was in the midst of its months-long lockdown.

Air India beats IndiGo to become top 'on time' airline in India: Report

In September, 87.1 per cent of flights of Air India were on time as compared to IndiGo's 84.1 per cent

Aeroflot to launch flight services to Goa from Moscow, starting Nov 2

Russian flag carrier Aeroflot on Monday said it is set to launch its flight services to Goa from Moscow, starting November 2. The airline currently operates its air services on the Moscow-Delhi-Moscow route twice-a-week with an Airbus A330 aircraft. Aeroflot will fly its Airbus A330 aircraft every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from Moscow to Goa, offering 268 seats in the business class and 28 in the economy, the statement said. Besides, the new services will also offer a weekly cargo capacity of 30 tons from India for Russia and the CIS countries, it added. "Goa is a popular tourist destination among Russians. We are starting our three-times-a-week flights on the Moscow-Goa-Moscow route. It marks the expansion of our Indian services in response to customer demand," said Korolev Oleg K, head of cargo at Aeroflot. Goa-Moscow route is another high-demand route between India and Russia. These flights will boost the recovering tourist market in both countries, said Delmos Aviation, w