Page 35 - Airlines

Tata Sons to offer stakes in Vistara to Singapore Airlines: Report

After the merger of Vistara and Air India, AI will become India's largest airline behind IndiGo

Akasa Air grounds B737 Max aircraft after noticing engine fuel leak

Carrier operating with three planes, will source spare parts to repair the engine fuel pump

Air India extends validity of frequent flyer points till March 31, 2023

Air India has extended the validity benefits under Flying Returns, the airline's 'Frequent Flyer' programme, till March 31, 2023

'Tatas evaluating options to consolidate AirAsia India, Vistara under AI'

The Tata Group has started an exercise to evaluate options to consolidate AirAsia India and Vistara under Air India to bring operational synergies among the three airlines under its umbrella, sources said. Air India, which the group had taken control of in January after winning the bid to acquire the national carrier for Rs 18,000 crore in October last year, has set up a team under its Director of Operations, R S Sandhu, sources familiar with the development said. The team will evaluate synergies in operations between Air India Express and AirAsia India as well as between Air India and Vistara, they said. "Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson has set up this team, which will look into synergy between Air India Express and AirAsia India and also between Air India and Vistara and how to achieve the merger," a source said. The team has been asked to submit its plan within one year, the source added. It is understood that the plan is to achieve consolidation of AirAsia India into Air

SpiceJet sends 80 pilots on leave without pay for three mths to prune costs

Loss making airline is currently operating less than half its flights, following a July 27 DGCA order brought on by a spate of incidents

AirAsia offers 5 million free seats to celebrate its rapid comeback

The offers on AirAsia tickets will be valid if travel dates lie between January 1, 2023, and October 28, 2023

Sky high: Flying during Diwali likely to cost 20-30% more this year

While ATF price has jumped 83% in Sept on a YoY basis, capacity deployed by airlines has also increased. Airlines flew 37% more flights and carried 50% more passengers last month compared to Aug '21

Battle for skies: Tatas kick-start Air India fleet expansion via leasing

Airline to offer premium economy class

Technical glitch or bad weather? Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan escapes plane crash

A plane carrying former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan escaped a crash as the aircraft made an emergency landing on Saturday due to technical glitch mid-air

IndiGo's new CEO Pieter Elbers takes over, eyes 'new frontiers'

Known for his decisiveness, new chief will have his task cut out as domestic competition heats up

SpiceJet in dire need of recapitalisation to revive operation: Report

The carrier has been strong in its pursuit of weathering the storm but it has faced a series of headwinds for more than three years. The company reported huge loss in April-June quarter

Alliance Air to hold Board meeting on Sept 16 to restore pilots' salaries

During the peak of the Covid pandemic, Indian carriers had cut the salaries of their employees to reduce losses. This year, while most of them have restored the salaries, a few are yet to do so

Could an Indian airline be in race for SriLankan Airlines stake buy?

Even if things improve, it would be hard to keep funding the airline's operations, as the airline has been bleeding money for a while.

IndiGo announces codeshare with Virgin Atlantic; to cover 7 cities in India

The codeshare will allow Virgin Atlantic passengers to book a single ticket to travel from London to Delhi or Mumbai, and then take IndiGo flight to these Indian cities

New pricing model aiming to prune jet fuel cost by 15% likely in two months

OMCs to shift to single uniform system instead of the prevailing dual pricing mechanism for domestic and overseas airlines

Two Air France pilots suspended after fighting in cockpit: Offical

Fisticuffs in the cockpit, leaving a leaky engine running while cruising over Africa -- Air France pilots are under scrutiny after recent incidents that have prompted French investigators to call for tougher safety protocols. Two Air France pilots were suspended after physically fighting in the cockpit on a Geneva-Paris flight in June, an Air France official said Sunday. The flight continued and landed safely, and the dispute didn't affect the rest of the flight, the official said, stressing the airline's commitment to safety. Switzerland's La Tribune reported that the pilot and co-pilot had a dispute shortly after takeoff, and grabbed each other by their collars after one apparently hit the other. Cabin crew intervened and one crew member spent the flight in the cockpit with the pilots, the report said. News of the fight emerged after France's air investigation agency, BEA, issued a report Wednesday saying that some Air France pilots lack rigor in respecting procedures during safet

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka to privatise national carrier as it runs out of money

Sri Lanka on Monday said it will privatise the country's loss-making national carrier as the cash-strapped government "can no longer afford to inject money" into running the airline. The government is looking to sell a 49 per cent stake each of the SriLankan Airlines' catering and ground-handling units in efforts to restructure the state-run carrier, while 51 per cent will be retained under state hold, Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told reporters here. This restructuring is essential as the government can no longer afford to inject money into running the airline, he said. Annually the government has been providing the airline between USD 80 billion to USD 200 billion to run its operations, de Silva said. The minister said the revenue from the sale of the catering operation can be used to pay off debt amounting to USD 80 million that was obtained by mortgaging its shares, as well as some other loans. The airline's debt currently amounts to USD 1.226 billion (LKR 401 ...

Pilot of prominent airline fails drug test; DGCA removes him from duty

A pilot of a prominent airline has been removed from flight duty after he failed a drug test, a senior DGCA official said on Friday. He is the fourth pilot to fail the drug test since the procedure for examination of aviation personnel for consumption of psychoactive substances came into effect from January 31. The test is done for the flight crew and ATCs on a random basis. So far, four pilots and one Air Traffic Controller (ATC) have tested positive for psychoactive substances. According to the official, a pilot of a prominent airline was subjected to the drug test in the national capital. He was found positive in the confirmatory test report received on August 23 and has been removed from the flight duty, the official said. As per the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), in case the result of the confirmatory drug test is positive for the first time, then the personnel concerned will be referred to a de-addiction centre by the organisation concerned for de-addiction and ...

Delhi-bound Air India flight from Sydney makes emergency landing in Kolkata

A Delhi-bound Air India flight from Sydney made an emergency landing in Kolkata on Wednesday after a 50-year-old passenger complained of breathlessness, airport officials said. The flight with 159 passengers aboard was at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport for two hours from 4.50 PM till 6.50 PM before leaving for the national capital. The flyer was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata, they added.

SpiceJet exploring stake sale to raise Rs 2,000 cr, says CMD Ajay Singh

SpiceJet is looking to raise investments from external parties, including airlines, said Ajay Singh on the sidelines of an ASSOCHAM event