Page 20 - Aviation Industry

Air India Express to operate non-stop flights to Kochi, Imphal from Kolkata

Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, is all set to begin non-stop flights to Imphal and Kochi from Kolkata this April, an airline official said. "The flights to Imphal will operate daily, while those to Kochi will fly six days a week," he said. The flight from Kolkata to Imphal will depart at 7 am and will reach in Manipur capital at 8.05 am. The return flight will depart at 8.35 am and arrive in Kolkata at 10.20 am, he said. The Kolkata-Kochi flight will take off at 11.25am and reach the destination at 2.35pm, while the return flight will leave at 3.05pm and land here at 6.10pm. The airline through route integration will be operating more flights on various domestic routes, sources said. Meanwhile, the airline has recently announced introduction of four fare products - Xpress Lite (cabin baggage only fares), Xpress Value (15 kg check-in bag fares), Xpress Flex (unlimited changes with no change fees), and Xpress Biz (business class seating with complimentary Gourmair meal

Regional airline FLY91 expects to have 350 staff in its first year of ops

Regional airline FLY91, which will commence its commercial flights on March 18, will have around 350 staff at the end of the first year of operations and aims to break even within two years, according to a top executive. The Goa-based airline currently has two ATR 72-600 planes in its fleet and four more aircraft will be added in the first year of operations. The carrier's MD and CEO Manoj Chacko said there is no need to raise funds now, as it will also be getting Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN. "We also have VGF for the sectors we have won. If we take all the sectors we have secured and if we operate the full schedule, then on an annualised basis, it will be around Rs 200 crore," he told PTI in a recent interview. The airline expects to break even in 18-24 months, he said and added that the focus is to build a profitable, sustainable and scalable business. In the inaugural phase, FLY91 will offer weekly flights between Goa's Manohar ..

DGCA issues license for Ambikapur airport to begin flight operations

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued the aerodrome license for Ambikapur airport in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district to start flight operations, officials said on Saturday. Maa Mahamaya Airport, Ambikapur, has been developed in the 3-C VFR category to expand air services in the state, a public relations department official said. An application, seeking a license to start air services from the airport, was submitted to the DGCA in December 2022. The aviation regulator on Friday granted the license to the state government for Ambikapur Airport, he said. With this, the state now has three licensed airports -- Bilaspur, Jagdalpur and Ambikapur under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), he added. The license has paved the way for the operation of 72-seater flights from Ambikapur, he added. The state government has already been making efforts to start air service from Ambikapur Airport to Raipur, Bilaspur, Lucknow, Patna, and Ranchi. With the commencement of fl

DGCA sticks to June 1 deadline for revised flight duty norms for pilots

Aviation regulator DGCA has decided not to extend the June 1 deadline for implementing the revised flight duty norms for pilots and asked airlines to submit the revised schemes by April 15, according to a communication. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), comprising Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo, had written at least twice to the regulator seeking more time for implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms were issued on January 8. The new norms, to come into force from June 1, provide for rest time for pilots and seek to alleviate pilot fatigue. In a communication to the FIA, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that airlines have to take all necessary steps to roll out the revised FDTL CAR, with effect from June 1, 2024. Further, the carriers have been asked to ensure that the FDTL schemes in tune with the revised norms are submitted for approval by April 15. The revised norms provide for increased weekly rest time to 48 hours for

Domestic air traffic rises 4.8% to 12.64 mn in Feb, 155K faced delays

Domestic air traffic rose 4.8 per cent on an annual basis to 126.48 lakh in February, while more than 1.55 lakh passengers were affected by flight delays during the same period, according to official data released on Friday. In February, Air India's market share rose to 12.8 per cent from 12.2 per cent while that of IndiGo marginally dipped to 60.1 per cent from 60.2 per cent in January. The domestic air traffic climbed to 126.48 lakh in February compared to 120.69 lakh in the year-ago period, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. However, the traffic was less than 1.31 crore reported in January. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January - February 2024 were 257.78 lakh, as against 246.11 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 4.74 per cent and monthly growth of 4.80 per cent," DGCA said. As many as 1,55,387 passengers were affected due to flight delays in February and scheduled carriers shel

Maha govt new owner of iconic Air India building, pays Rs 1,601 cr

The Maharashtra government has become the owner of iconic Air India building with the Union government approving transfer of the asset on Thursday. The Maharashtra government bought the Air India building at Nariman Point in Mumbai for Rs 1,601 crore. "GoI has approved transfer of Air India building, Mumbai of AI Assets Holding Company Ltd (AIAHL) to Government of Maharashtra (GoM) at consideration of Rs.1601 cr. GoM has agreed to waive dues of Rs. 298.42 cr, which would have been otherwise payable by AIAHL to GoM for this transaction," DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in a post on X. AIAHL, a Government of India company under administrative control of Ministry of Civil Aviation, was set up in 2019 for holding non-core assets and debt of Air India. The non-core assets of Air India, including land and building, valued at Rs 14,718 crore was transferred to AIAHL after it was set up by the government as a precursor to the sale of Air India for holding the debt and non-core ass

Boeing 737 Max probe still trying to find who caused door failure

The door plug on the Alaska Air 737 Max 9 blew off shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, prompting an explosive decompression

NZ to seize black boxes from LATAM's Boeing 787 to probe mid-air incident

The airline and passengers aboard the Sydney-Auckland flight on Monday said the plane with 263 passengers and nine crew members on board dropped abruptly mid-air

Goa-based airline FLY91 to start commercial services from March 18

Regional airline FLY91 will start commercial services from March 18, with flights connecting Goa to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Besides, it will have flights to Sindhudurg from Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The Goa-based carrier plans to start flights to Lakshadweep from April, its chief Manoj Chacko said on Tuesday. The airline received its air operator permit from aviation regulator DGCA on March 6. At a briefing at the Mopa airport, FLY91 MD and CEO Manoj Chacko said the airline will have a total of six ATR 72-600 planes in six months. Currently, there are two aircraft in its fleet. "We aim to connect Bharat," Chacko said and added that initially, it will connect 13 city pairs. The carrier plans to start flights to Lakshadweep from April. In the next five years, FLY91 plans to have around 35 planes, connect 50 cities and 6 bases, Chacko said. The carrier, operated by Just Udo Aviation Pvt Ltd, seeks to enhance air connectivity across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Chacko said the airli

Several team members resigned as part of strategic restructuring: SpiceJet

SpiceJet on Tuesday said several members of its commercial team have resigned with immediate effect, as part of a strategic restructuring at the airline. On Monday, sources said the airline's Chief Operating Officer Arun Kashyap and Chief Commercial Officer Shilpa Bhatia have put in their papers. "As part of SpiceJet's strategic restructuring, several members of the commercial team including the Chief Commercial Officer have left the company with immediate effect," an airline spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. With the recent fundraise, the spokesperson said it is speeding up the process of resolution of all past disputes, and continues to see significant growth in revenue and load factor.

Rakesh Gangwal sells shares of InterGlobe Aviation worth Rs 6,785 crore

InterGlobe Aviation's promoter Rakesh Gangwal on Monday sold shares worth Rs 6,785 crore of the company through open market transactions. The co-founder of the company, which operates the country's largest airline IndiGo, offloaded 2.25 crore shares of IndiGo amounting to 5.83 per cent stake, according to bulk deal data on BSE. The shares were sold in three tranches, with the price per scrip varying from Rs 3,015.10 to Rs 3,016.36.

Boeing's largest union demands 40% salary hike over 3 yrs, as talks begin

The company's stock extended declines after the union announced its demands, falling as much as 2.2%

Families of those on missing Flight 370 still looking for answers

Over the past decade, Grace Subathirai Nathan graduated from law school, got married, opened a law firm and had two babies. But part of her is frozen in time, still in denial over the loss of her mother on a missing Malaysia Airlines plane in 2014. There has been no funeral service, and Grace, 35, still speaks of her mother in the present tense. When she got married in 2020, she walked down the aisle with a picture of her mother tucked in a bouquet of daisies chosen because of her mother's name, Anne Catherine Daisy. The Malaysian criminal lawyer has become one of the key faces of Voice 370, a next-of-kin support group, as she channelled her grief into keeping alive the quest for answers in the disappearance of MH370 that has ripped families apart. In terms of going on, I progressed in my career, in my family life ... but I am still trying to push for the search of MH370 to continue. I am trying to push for the plane to be found, so in that way I haven't moved on, Grace said in an

India's aviation industry should embrace new safety rules quickly

Maximum flight times have been cut and the definition of night duty - when reduced work times are enforced - will be broadened under new rules

Air India deboards female passenger at IGI after argument with crew members

A female business class passenger on an Air India flight to London was deboarded at the Delhi airport following an argument with cabin crew members this week. The incident happened on flight AI 161 on March 5 and the passenger involved was a senior corporate executive, according to sources in the know. In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said a passenger travelling in business class was off boarded on the advice of the captain following some argument with members of the crew before the scheduled pushback. "Following the off boarding, flight AI 161 departed after a delay of about an hour. The passenger who was off boarded was travelling for some compelling reasons and was accommodated on a subsequent flight following a written assurance," the spokesperson said. Further details about the incident could not be immediately ascertained. As many as 894 passengers were denied boarding by Air India in January and around Rs 98 lakh was spent by the airline on facilitation/ compensati

As costs rise, Lufthansa drops 2024 operating margin target to 7.6%

Europe's airlines have benefited from unprecedented demand following the pandemic, allowing them to hike prices, but higher labour and maintenance costs have limited earnings growth

Flight ops from Dehradun to Ayodhya, Varanasi, Amritsar start today

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the flight operations from Dehradun to these three major citiesThe three services were launched from Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport on Wednesday.CM Dhami inaugurated the event by lighting a lamp and cutting a cake.Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, "We endeavour to make moving the people within the entire state of Uttarakhand convenient, simple and easy. For this, we are continuously making efforts and the people of the country are travelling to different places in the state.""Flagged off air services from Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun to Shri Ayodhya Dham, Amritsar, Pantnagar and Varanasi and gave boarding passes to the passengers and wished them a happy journey. As a result of the efforts of the double engine government, the air connectivity of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is continuously getting strengthened. With the start of these air services, while people will get convenience in transportation, tourism in the state will ...

Airbus presents 'totally unacceptable' offer to A220 workers: Union memo

Airbus is holding talks with the estimated 1,300 workers in Canada's province of Quebec at a time when the European planemaker is trying to control costs on its loss-making A220 jet

American Airlines to buy 260 new planes from Airbus, Boeing and Embraer

American Airlines announced a massive order for new planes on Monday, splitting 260 new aircraft between Airbus, Boeing and Embraer in a move designed to meet growing travel demand and increase the airline's supply of premium seats. American said it placed options for up to 193 more planes over the next several years. The package of orders includes 85 A321neo planes from Europe's Airbus and an identical number of similarly sized Boeing 737 Max 10s. American converted a previous order for 30 Max 8s to the larger Max 10s. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline also ordered 90 smaller E175 aircraft from Brazil's Embraer. The planes are all single-aisle, so-called narrow-body aircraft that American will use for flights within the United States and to nearby international destinations. American CEO Robert Isom said the airline has invested heavily in the last decade more than 600 planes, including those used by its regional affiliates to modernize and simplify its fleet, which is alread

Must acquire three Jet Airways planes in six months, says Ace Aviation

"Needless to say if we missed our conversion slots we would have to pay penalties and could potentially lose our slots altogether," Koish said