Page 8 - Aviation Industry

2,458 flights hit by regulatory, geopolitical issues: Govt tells LS

Airlines cancelled or rescheduled 2,458 flights due to regulatory and geopolitical issues this year, the civil aviation ministry told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said airlines incur costs due to delays and cancellations, including additional fuel, crew overtime, maintenance, airport fees, and rebooking expenses. Airlines are required to provide refunds or compensation to passengers for cancellations or significant delays. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-June 2025 registered a growth of 7.34 per cent as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year," the minister said. This year, IndiGo and Air India cancelled or rescheduled 1,017 flights and 662 flights, respectively. SpiceJet cancelled or rescheduled 334 flights while the count for Air India Express stood at 427 and in the case of Akasa Air, it was 18 flights, as per the data shared with the written reply. These flights, .

Air India CEO reassures flyers on safety after DGCA findings, AI171 crash

Campbell Wilson tells Maharaja Club members Air India is reinforcing safety with detailed inspections, audits, and a temporary "Safety Pause" after DGCA findings and fatal crash

DGCA suspends Akasa Air examiner for six months over skill test lapses

DGCA suspends Akasa Air's Captain Kunal Khajuria for six months for procedural violations during a pilot skill test; retest ordered and examiner training mandated

Aviation watchdog DGCA finds 263 lapses at Indian airlines in annual audit

The audits were carried out as part of International Civil Aviation Organization requirements and global best practices, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Wednesday

World's biggest passenger jet, Airbus A380, is becoming costly to maintain

Two decades after its maiden flight, regulatory bulletins ordering repairs, inspections or replacement parts for the massive four-engined plane Airbus SE A380 are piling up

IndiGo to add more int'l destinations; to explore new MRO opportunities

IndiGo will continue to add more overseas destinations with A321 XLRs set to join the fleet this fiscal year and aims to increase its international capacity share to 40 per cent by 2030. Also, the country's largest airline plans to explore new opportunities in the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) space, according to its annual report for 2024-25. IndiGo, which has been flying for over 18 years, has a domestic market share of 64.5 per cent, operates around 2,200 flights daily with more than 430 planes. "We will continue to add more destinations internationally, especially with XLRs coming in along with our newly leased wide body aircraft for long haul operations. From 28 per cent current international capacity share, we are aiming for 40 per cent by FY 2030," IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said in his message in the annual report. Earlier this month, the carrier started flights to Manchester and Amsterdam that are being operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliners leased from Norway's Norse

Technical snag detected on IndiGo Tirupati-Hyderabad flight, lands safely

IndiGo flight 6E 6591, departed from Tirupati Airport but began circling the area for nearly 40 minutes after a technical snag was detected

DGCA removes window shade advisory, photography ban remains at IAF airports

The DGCA emphasised on Saturday that the prohibition on aerial and ground photography continues to apply to all aircraft operations at IAF Joint User Airports (JUAs)

Air India finds 'no issues' with Boeing 787 fuel control switch locks

Following DGCA's inspection directive, Air India confirms no faults in fuel control switches on its Boeing 787s, with throttle modules replaced earlier as per schedule

No immediate action needed from Boeing after AI171 crash report: IATA chief

IATA's William Walsh praises India's detailed preliminary report on AI171 crash, backs cockpit cameras and says Boeing need not act before final recommendations

Datanomics: Pilot error identified as top cause for air accidents

Between 2012 and 2025, the AAIB investigated 99 air accidents, 13 of which involved commercial airlines.

DGCA directs all airlines to inspect Boeing fuel switches by July 21

DGCA mandates inspection of Boeing aircraft fuel control switches by 21 July after AI171 crash report flagged malfunction linked to Honeywell parts used on 787s

Supreme Court dismisses tax demand raised by CBIC against IndiGo

The Supreme Court has dismissed CBIC's plea to retrospectively levy IGST on aircraft parts re-imported by IndiGo, reinforcing the principle of legal certainty in taxation

Cargo vehicle hit wing of stationary Akasa Air aircraft at Mumbai airport

A Bird Group's cargo vehicle hit the wing of a stationary Akasa Air aircraft at Mumbai Airport on Monday, causing some damage to the right winglet, according to sources. However, there was no impact to passengers or the employees in the incident, which took place early morning on Monday after the airline's flight QP-1736 arrived here from Bangalore and the baggage and cargo were being offloaded, they said. The driver of the cargo truck apparently misjudged the height of the Boeing 737-Max aircraft's wing, leading to the vehicle clipping with the aircraft's wing, according to sources. "A third party ground handler, while operating a cargo truck, came in contact with an Akasa Air aircraft that was parked at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai. The aircraft is currently undergoing a thorough inspection," Akasa Air said in a statement. The airline also said that it is investigating the incident with the third party ground handler. Delhi-based Bird Group's company

Air India crash probe: US FAA and Boeing notify fuel switch locks are safe

The FAA's Continued Airworthiness Notification on July 11 came after a preliminary report on Friday into last month's Boeing 787-8 crash

Too early to draw conclusions on Pilots' role in A-I crash: Ex-AAIB chief

It will be too premature to draw conclusions on the role of pilots from the preliminary investigation report into the fatal crash of Air India plane last month and the final report will mention about the most probable cause for the accident, former AAIB chief Aurobindo Handa said on Sunday. A day after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the crash that killed 260 people, he said, "We should allow AAIB to complete the investigation in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner." Handa has investigated more than 100 aircraft accidents, including the Air India Express plane crash in Kozhikode in 2020. "AAIB has done a good job. Going forward, they will now focus to find out as to why and how these fuel switches moved and whether there could have been any mechanical and/or electrical failures/malfunction," he told PTI. The report, released on Saturday, said the fuel switches of the crashed Boeing 787-8 plane's engines were cut off within

Aviation safety: Key findings from India's last three major air crashes

The last three major air crashes in India-Patna (2000), Mangaluru (2010), and Kozhikode (2020)-offer critical safety insights, with recommendations for improving aviation safety

Too early to conclude Air India crash cause: Aviation min on probe report

Union Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday said that it is immature to jump to conclusions at the juncture over the recent Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has only released the preliminary report. On June 12, a London-bound Air India flight, AI 171, crashed immediately after take off in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. "So, let's not jump to any conclusions at this stage. Let us wait for the final report. These are technical things and that is why we have these investigation agencies. Once they are clear..., they are going to submit the final report. At this stage it will be very immature for me to comment on it," said Naidu. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in the port city, the aviation minister heaped praise on the AAIB, Indian pilots and cabin crews, calling them the 'best' in the world. He also underscored that 'justice' has to be done to the family members of one of India's worst

Delhi, Mumbai flyers may face higher charges as GMR, Adani win tariff case

A tribunal has allowed GMR and Adani Airport to include non-aero revenue in tariff model, boosting earnings at Delhi and Mumbai airports; flyers and airlines may face higher charges as a result

Air India plane crashed after fuel supply to engines was cut off: Probe

The report states that the fuel switches for both engines were moved to the cut-off position almost immediately after takeoff, though the reason for this action remains unclear