Page 20 - Aviation Industry

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

DGCA issues stricter breath analyser norms for air traffic controllers

Aviation regulator DGCA has mandated that at least 25 per cent of the air traffic controllers, aircraft maintenance engineers, and personnel carrying out safety-sensitive work at an airport will have to undergo a breath analyser test daily. The revised Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) in this regard will come into force after three months, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a release on Thursday. Currently, the breath analyser test percentage required is 10 per cent and that has been increased to 25 per cent. It will be applicable for air traffic controllers, ground staff, aircraft maintenance engineers, and ground handling services personnel right. According to the regulator, revisions have been made to the CAR on the procedure for breath analyser examination of the personnel engaged in safety-sensitive work such as aircraft maintenance, air traffic control services, aerodrome operations, and ground handling services for detecting the consumption of ...

1 accident reported for every 1.26 mn flights operated in 2023: IATA

There was one accident for every 1.26 million flights operated globally in 2023 and it was the lowest rate in more than a decade, according to airlines' grouping IATA. Releasing the data, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Wednesday said there were no hull losses or fatal accidents involving passenger jet aircraft in 2023. "However, there was a single fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft, resulting in 72 fatalities. There were 37 million aircraft movements in 2023 (jet and turboprop), an increase of 17 per cent on the previous year," it said in a release. IATA represents around 320 airlines comprising 83 per cent of global air traffic. "The all accident rate was 0.80 per million sectors in 2023 (one accident for every 1.26 million flights), an improvement from 1.30 in 2022 and the lowest rate in over a decade. This rate outperformed the five-year (2019-2023) rolling average of 1.19 (an average one accident for every 8,80,293 flights)," the release said.

SpiceJet settles $30 mn dispute with Celestial Aviation outside tribunal

SpiceJet had announced on February 22 that it had raised a second tranche of Rs 316 crore under the preferential issue of equity and warrants

Boeing's safety management 'inadequate and confusing': FAA report

"We will carefully review the panel's assessment and learn from their findings, as we continue our comprehensive efforts to improve our safety and quality programs," Boeing said in a statement

Airtel announces in-flight connectivity for users on international routes

Partnership with UK-based Aeromobile will allow Airtel users surf the web, make online calls on 19 global carriers

A-I enters into 12-yr pact with SIA Engineering Co for A320 family planes

Air India has entered into a 12-year agreement with SIA Engineering Company Ltd for extensive component support coverage for the airline's A320 family planes. "Under this 12-year agreement, Air India Group's current fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft will receive extensive component support coverage from SIAEC. "Besides access to its inventory pool, SIAEC (together with its subsidiaries and joint venture companies with Original Equipment Manufacturers) will also provide repair and overhaul services for airframe and on-wing engine component," the airline said in a release on Wednesday. Air India has inked an agreement with SIAEC for Inventory Technical Management (ITM). Currently, Air India has around 60 planes from the A320 family, including 320s and 321s, in its total fleet of 123 aircraft. It has also placed an order for 210 A320 family aircraft. Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director Campbell Wilson said the collaboration will further bolster our repairs and .

'Demographics in India provide optimal condition for low-cost carriers'

India's unique demographics have created an optimal environment for the development of new local Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) that are likely to deploy both wide- and narrow-body aircraft to cope with demand on domestic routes, an aviation sector expert here said. "Travellers will look for lower cost options and this will help LCCs grow much faster than the more premium Full-Service Carriers (FSCs) in India," says Joshua Ng, a director at the Singapore-based Alton Aviation Consultancy on Wednesday. He noted that the type of aircraft flying domestic destinations will depend on the route demand and the connectivity between mega cities, as well as the capacities at new airports being built across the country. LCCs are well positioned to capture and stimulate new demand in the country, given the vast territory and large population, Joshua told PTI after chairing a session at the Advanced Air Mobility Forum being held here from Feb 20-25. He said the LCCs in India were also an alternative t

American Airlines raises bag fees, changing how customers earn flyer points

American Airlines is pushing customers to buy tickets directly from the airline if they want to earn frequent-flyer points, and it is raising the cost of checking bags. American announced on Tuesday that most customers will have to buy tickets directly from the airline or its partner carriers if they want to earn points in its AAdvantage loyalty programme. Corporate travellers won't be affected by the change. The airline said checking a bag will rise from USD 30 now to USD 35 online and USD 40 if purchased at the airport. The fee for a second checked bag will rise from USD 40 to USD 45 both online and at the airport. American says it last raised bag fees in 2018. The changes affect flights booked on or after Tuesday for travel within the United States and to nearby international destinations including Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The airline will generally allow customers to check at least one bag free if they hold status in American's loyalty programme, buy a premium-class

A-I to upgrade Boeing 777, 787 fleet with Thales entertainment system

Air India's existing fleet of 40 Boeing 777s and 787s will be upgraded with Thales' inflight entertainment system. The fleet will be upgraded with AVANT Up inflight entertainment solution, according to a release on Monday. "Thales will upgrade and retrofit Air India's current fleet of 40 Boeing 777s and 787s with its state-of-the-art AVANT Up system, starting in 2024 and continuing through 2025," it said. Further, Thales will install the system on Air India's 11 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft with deliveries to commence in 2025. Thales is into developing advanced technologies within three domains -- defence & security, aeronautics & space, and digital identity & security.

With 11.9 mn arrivals, India tops list for number of passengers in Dubai

India emerged at the top spot for the highest number of passengers flying through the Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, with traffic totalling 11.9 million guests, the airport announced on Monday. According to a statement, the Dubai airport, known as DXB, surpassed not only its own yearly forecast but also pre-pandemic levels of traffic. In 2023, DXB witnessed a surge in passenger numbers, reaching 86.9 million passengers (86,994,365), an impressive year-on-year increase of 31.7 per cent. It was just under a per cent higher than the passenger numbers recorded in 2019 (86.4 million), the numbers were driven by robust growth in the second half of the year during which the airport recorded a total of 45.4 million guests. With 7.8 million guests, December was the busiest month in the fourth quarter during which the airport welcomed a total of 22.4 million guests, a year-on-year growth of 13.8 per cent compared to Q4 of last year. Q3 remained the