Page 2 - Aviation News

SpiceJet plans to induct 3 Airbus A320 planes on damp lease in July

Domestic carrier SpiceJet on Monday said it plans to induct three Airbus A320 planes on a damp lease next month to further expand its fleet. The company has already finalised a lease agreement (with the lessor) for these three narrowbody planes, the airline said in a statement. Along with this, SpiceJet said it has also ungrounded a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and put it back into commercial operations. The additional capacity will support the airline's network requirements during the busy travel season and provide greater operational flexibility across its domestic and international routes, it said. "These aircraft will help us meet growing passenger demand, strengthen operational resilience and enhance network flexibility during a busy travel period," said Debojo Maharshi, Chief Business Officer, SpiceJet. The airline, he said, continues to focus on steadily expanding its fleet and improving operational readiness as we move forward with our growth plans.

ATF price stabilisation fund very good solution to airlines' problem: IATA

India setting up the ATF price stabilisation fund is a very good solution to address the problem of higher jet fuel costs being faced by the domestic airlines, a senior IATA executive has said. While mentioning that the current jet fuel scenario globally is unprecedented in terms of the cost impact, Hemant Mistry, Director Energy Transition at IATA, cautioned that if the situation continues, there would have to be more flight reductions. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents over 370 airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express and SpiceJet. The grouping accounts for around 85 per cent of the global air traffic. Mistry said the jet fuel situation in terms of cost impact is unprecedented. "If the situation continues, there will have to be more demand destruction... that is the only way to manage the situation, it is an extreme situation," he told PTI. Demand destruction broadly refers to a reduction in flights amid rising operational costs, drive

United Air CEO tears into engine supplier Rolls-Royce for lack of support

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby publicly criticised Rolls-Royce over contract commitments, escalating tensions between the carrier and the engine maker

India is a significant player in Asia Pacific air traffic growth: IATA

India is a significant player in the growth story of air traffic in the Asia Pacific region, where the number of air passengers is projected to touch 4.1 billion by 2044, according to IATA. International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents over 370 airlines, accounting for around 85 per cent of the global air traffic. The number of air passengers in the Asia Pacific is projected to jump to 4.1 billion by 2044 from 1.7 billion in 2024, which would mean 2.4 billion additional passengers, as per IATA. At a briefing in the Brazilian city, the grouping's Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, Sheldon Hee, on Saturday, said India has been a significant player in the growth story for the Asia Pacific for the last several years. India is one of the world's fastest-growing domestic civil aviation markets. The growth in the Asia Pacific has been strong over the last 5-10 years, and will continue to be strong in the next decade or so, he said. He listed out infrastructure, taxatio

India fixes jet fuel benchmark at ₹115/l under new ATF stabilisation plan

Domestic airlines will be able to buy aviation turbine fuel (ATF) at a fixed price of Rs 86.32 per litre for up to three years under a new government-backed price stabilisation scheme aimed at shielding carriers and passengers from a surge in global fuel costs. Under the voluntary scheme, participating airlines will pay the fixed free-on-board (FOB) benchmark price plus airport charges, oil company margins and applicable taxes, taking the effective selling price to about Rs 115 per litre in Delhi, Rs 114.5 in Mumbai and Rs 139 in Chennai, according to government officials. The benchmark compares with the current effective ATF price of about Rs 105 per litre in Delhi, which has remained frozen for more than two months after the government allowed only a partial pass-through of soaring global fuel costs triggered by the outbreak of the West Asia conflict in late February. While participating airlines will pay the fixed price, those not opting for the scheme will be charged prevailing

Cabinet approves ₹10,000 crore fund to stabilise ATF costs amid crisis

OMCs will be compensated for losses arising from elevated international ATF prices whenever the prevailing import parity price exceeds a benchmark price determined by the government

GST dept issues tax demand of ₹124 cr to Spicejet, slaps showcause notice

The GST department has issued a tax demand of Rs 124.65 crore to struggling airline SpiceJet for non-filing of GST returns for the past several months, an official said on Friday. Initiating action against the airline for failing to file GST returns on time, the GST department has issued a show-cause notice to cancel the company's GST registration, the official said. According to the GST department, SpiceJet consistently committed irregularities in filing GST returns and submitted them late. Consequently, a provisional assessment was filed under Section 62 of the CGST and SGST Act, 2017. Based on this, a total tax demand of Rs 124.65 crore has been assessed for various periods. According to the demand details released by the department, the demand has been fixed at Rs 44.44 crore for the month of November, Rs 43.79 crore for the month of December, Rs 12.19 crore for the month of January, Rs 12.10 crore for the month of February and Rs 12.12 crore for the month of March. GST officia

Indian airlines urge oil firms to defer jet fuel price hike amid Iran war

The proposal floated by airlines including Air India Ltd., IndiGo and SpiceJet Ltd. is being considered by the refiners

IndiGo posts ₹2,536.9 cr Q4FY26 loss as fuel prices surge, rupee declines

The airline had a profit of Rs 3,067.5 crore in the year-ago period

West Asia tensions lead to 3.4% fall in air passenger demand in April: IATA

In the data released by the Association, total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), was down 3.4 per cent compared to April 2025

Red Balloon Aerospace launches India's 1st domestic super-pressure platform

Founded in 2025, Red Balloon Aerospace achieved operational commercial flight in just eight months, marking one of the fastest development timelines in the global near-space sector

Air India flights delayed at Mumbai airport due to ground staff strike

Protest by AI Airport Services Limited staff at Mumbai airport disrupted Air India and Air India Express operations before work resumed

Air India's challenges 'largely external': Singapore Airlines CEO

Air India's transformation is going to be a "long game, and there is no shortcut", its co-owner, Singapore Airlines' CEO Goh Choon Phong, said on Friday as he mentioned that the Indian carrier is facing various challenges, including Pakistan airspace closure and rupee depreciation. At a briefing to discuss Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group's financial results for the 2025-26 financial year, he also said that Air India has "largely external challenges". Singapore Airlines on Thursday reported a 57.4 per cent decline in net profit at SGD 1.184 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2026, mainly due to the absence of a prior-year one-off accounting gain related to the Vistara merger, and Air India losses. Air India's loss stood at more than SGD 3.56 billion (over Rs 26,700 crore) in the financial year ended March 2026, as the carrier grappled with the fallout of airspace curbs and other headwinds, as per the figures disclosed by the SIA Group in its financial report for 2025-26. Goh Choo

Rajnath, Naidu lay foundation stone for combat aircraft unit in Andhra

The AMCA-linked infrastructure project in Andhra Pradesh is expected to strengthen India's indigenous military aviation ecosystem and generate 7,500 jobs

Air India to cut flights, suspend services on some int'l routes

Air India has suspended six international routes and cut services amid airspace restrictions and soaring jet fuel costs

9 in 10 flyers prefer Delhi IGI over Jewar airport, citing proximity, fares

Jewar MLA writes to PM Modi, urging review of UDF and passenger charges at the new airport; airlines flag landing fees up to 119% higher and UDF up to 406% higher than Delhi

ECLGS 5.0: Top 3 airlines may get up to ₹1.5K cr each, says DFS secy

Credit facilities worth Rs 70,000-80,000 crore available with SBI for MSMEs under ECLGS scheme: SBI chairman

Air India board holds meet, discusses costs, new CEO amid West Asia crisis

Air India board reviews mounting FY26 losses, cost cuts and CEO succession plans as fuel prices and West Asia disruptions hit operations

Power bank catches fire on IndiGo plane at Chandigarh; all evacuated

The power bank of a passenger onboard a stationary IndiGo aircraft caught fire at the Chandigarh airport on Tuesday, and all passengers and the crew were evacuated, according to a source. In a statement, the airline said that when IndiGo flight 6E 108 from Hyderabad to Chandigarh was stationary after landing, an incident involving a customer's personal electronic equipment catching fire was reported. "In the interest of safety, an immediate evacuation was carried out, and all the relevant authorities were immediately informed. All customers have been safely moved to the terminal and are being attended to by the team to ensure their well-being," the statement said. The source said that soon after the aircraft landed, there was smoke coming from one of the overhead bins and all onboard were evacuated. The smoke was due to the power bank catching fire, the source said, adding that no one sustained major injuries. Details about the number of passengers could not be ascertained.

Air India CEO search narrows to Singapore Air exec Kannan, insider Aggarwal

The choice of a new CEO comes at a crucial time for Air India, which is grappling with heavy losses, heightened regulatory scrutiny after a deadly crash last year