Page 2 - Aviation News

IndiGo appoints ex-Air India Express MD Aloke Singh as strategy chief

Singh previously served as managing director and chief executive officer of Air India Express, where he led operational improvements and expansion

Airlines warn free seat mandate will raise fares, hurt affordability

We were not consulted before this order was passed, said the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA)

Air India flight returns to Delhi after deploying wrong plane for Canada

The Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200LR are two long-haul variants of Boeing's 777 family with distinct capabilities in range and capacity

Indian airlines seek removal of fare cap as West Asia conflict hits ops

Indian airlines warn fare caps and rising costs could force route cuts and delay expansion, as fuel prices surge and operational pressures mount

Dubai airport closure affects flights from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram

Flight operations to Dubai were affected after two Emirates flights returned to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram airports following security concerns reported at the destination airport on Monday, authorities said. Flight EK533 departed Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) at 4.30 am with 325 people on board. En route, the aircraft was directed to turn back due to the sudden closure of Dubai International Airport, airport spokespersons said. The flight landed back at CIAL at 8.30 am, and the passengers were later disembarked, the spokesperson said. Apart from this, another Emirates flight bound for Dubai was cancelled, and both flights have been rescheduled for Tuesday, he said. Flights to other Gulf countries continued to operate from CIAL. Similarly, an Emirates flight bound for Dubai from Thiruvananthapuram returned to the airport here on Monday due to similar issues reported at the destination airport. The airport spokesperson said the Emirates TRVDXB flight returned midwa

176 aircraft of non-scheduled, GA operators lack cockpit recorders: Govt

As many as 176 planes operated by non-scheduled and general aviation operators do not have flight data or cockpit voice recorders, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Under the norms, aircraft that have a take-off weight of less than 5,700 kilograms are required to mandatorily have CVRs only if they had received an airworthiness certificate on or after January 1, 2016. In a written reply, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that a total 2,263 aircraft were registered and issued certificates of airworthiness (C of A) before January 1, 2016. "Aircraft operated by Non-Scheduled Operator's Permit (NSOP's) /General Aviation (GA) operators which are not equipped with Flight Data Recorder (FDR)/ Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) are 176," Mohol said. His reply was to a query on whether the government has data on the number of aircrafts without cockpit voice and flight data recorders. The nearly 40-year-old Beechcraft C90A aircraft that crashed in Jharkhand las

IndiGo ties up with Adani Airport for airline's loyalty programme

Domestic carrier IndiGo on Monday said it has partnered with Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) for the airline's loyalty programme, BlueChip for duty-free shopping at AAHL-managed airports in the country. Under the partnership, members can earn five IndiGo BluChips for every Rs 100 spent on duty-free products pre-booked through the Adani platform. Travellers can browse, reserve and pay for products online before departure and collect their purchases conveniently at the airport, it said. AAHL operates eight airports at Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Duty-free stores under the programme are available at airports in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Mangaluru and Lucknow, with expansion planned at Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati and the newly operational Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), it said.

Naidu says ₹164 crore paid to passengers hit by IndiGo cancellations

Compensation to the tune of Rs 163.92 crore in the form of travel coupons has already been given to passengers who suffered due to mass cancellation of flights by IndiGo in early December, Minister of Civil Aviation K Rammohan Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Replying to supplementary queries during Question Hour, he said the government is taking multiple necessary measures to ensure that this kind of incident is not repeated and consumers do not suffer. Hundreds of flights by IndiGo were cancelled during the first week of December due to shortage of pilots after the expiry of the deadline on Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). The government has blamed the airline for the lack of adequate planning in implementing the second phase of the FDTL norms as the key reason for flight disruptions and had granted a one-time exemption from enforcement of norms. Responding to a specific query on the IndiGo crisis, the Civil Aviation Minister said the ministry is taking several ...

Madurai Airport's international status to boost region's economy: Naidu

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday said that the declaration of the Madurai Airport as Madurai International Airport will transform the region into a major economic hub driven by more trade and tourism. It would also further boost the air traffic in Madurai, he observed. "Today, with the blessings of Meenakshi Amman (Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple), the decades-old demand of Madurai has been fulfilled with the renaming of Madurai Airport as Madurai International Airport," he said. With this development, the city of Madurai would gain greater prominence on global air routes, attracting more airlines and connectivity, he said at an event to rename the Madurai Airport to Madurai International Airport. "This will further empower Madurai's cultural and spiritual legacy while transforming the region into a major economic hub driven by more trade and tourism," he said in a social media post. He remarked that the passenger footfall since 2014 at Madurai

IndiGo suspends flights to 7 West Asia destinations till March 28

IndiGo will suspend planned flights to seven destinations in the Middle East, including Doha, Kuwait and Sharjah, till March 28 amid conflict in the region. The decision is part of the airline making adjustments to its operations to the Middle East, wherein it would be operating 252 weekly flights to and from the region during the period from March 16 to 28. In a statement on Saturday, the airline said it would continue to monitor the situation given the ongoing geopolitical risk, airspace restrictions, airport constraints, consistently rising fuel and insurance costs, and other uncertainties. According to the statement, the airline is aligning capacity with the current conditions while maintaining essential connectivity. "As part of these necessary network adjustments, planned operations to Doha, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dammam, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah will remain suspended till 28 March 2026," it said. The conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran that started on February

West Asia conflict: Airlines flag rising refinery margins behind ATF spike

Airlines say jet fuel prices have surged far more than crude oil since the West Asia conflict, blaming soaring refinery margins and the Mopag-linked pricing system for rising fares

IndiGo to levy fuel charge for domestic, international flights from Mar 14

IndiGo will start levying fuel charges ranging from Rs 425 to Rs 2,300 on domestic and international flight tickets from March 14 amid the steep surge in jet fuel prices due to the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran. The move will increase the airfares. For domestic flights and those within the Indian subcontinent, the fuel charge will be Rs 425, while it will be Rs 900 for the Middle East services, the airline said in a statement on Friday. The fuel charge will be Rs 1,800 for South East Asia and China, Africa and West Asia flights, and Rs 2,300 for Europe flights. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for nearly 40 per cent of an airline's operational costs. While announcing the introduction of the fuel charge, the airline said the measure has been taken due to the significant surge in fuel prices following the ongoing geopolitical issues in the Middle East. "While offsetting the entire impact of this fuel price surge requires a very substantial adjustment to fares, Ind

Indigo has lowest pilots-to-aircraft ratio at 7.6: Govt tells Lok Sabha

IndiGo has the lowest pilots-to-aircraft ratio at 7.6 compared to other domestic airlines, the Civil Aviation Ministry informed Parliament on Thursday. SpiceJet has the highest at 9.4 pilots per aircraft followed by Akasa Air having 9.33 pilots per aircraft, according to data presented by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, in response to a question in the Lok Sabha. Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express have 9.1 pilots per aircraft and 8.8 pilots per aircraft, respectively, the data showed. In response to another question, the minister said that Air India Express had employed the highest number of expat pilots at 48, while IndiGo hired 29 foreign pilots. The minister said that IndiGo has a total of 5,200 pilots, including 970 female pilots in the company, while Air India has 3,123 pilots with 508 female pilots. The number of total pilots with Air India Express is 1,820, and 234 of them are females, the minister said. Akasa Air has 761 pilots, including

57 India bound flights scheduled from various West Asia cities for Mar 12

Domestic carriers have scheduled 57 inbound flights from various cities in West Asia for March 12, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Thursday. A total of 1,50,457 air passengers have travelled from Gulf countries to India between February 28 and March 11, it added. Indian carriers have resumed their flight services to and from Riyadh on March 12, with three services being operated to Mumbai by Air India and IndiGo, and one service to Calicut by Air India Express, thereby restoring important air connectivity between India and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the ministry said in a statement. Amid the escalating West Asia conflict, airlines are operating services in a calibrated manner as there are airspace restrictions and closures in the region. "During the period February 28 to March 11, a total of 1,50,457 air passengers travelled from the Gulf countries to India. "Further, Indian carriers have scheduled 57 inbound flights on 12 March 2026 from various cities in West Asia, including Abu

CCI dismisses complaint against IndiGo, A-I over alleged market dominance

Fair trade regulator CCI on Wednesday dismissed a complaint alleging abuse of market dominance by InterGlobe Aviation and Air India. The complainant alleged that the domestic carriers were maintaining unconscionable and illegal rates of cancellation charges and imposing arbitrary conditions and prices for the sale of services. According to the complainant, InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, held more than 65 per cent share in the domestic aviation sector, while Air India accounted for around 27 per cent. Together, both these players control about 90 per cent of the market share, raising concerns of dominance and possible anti-competitive practices, as per the complaint. After examining the information, the Commission said the allegations did not establish any prima facie violation of competition law provisions. CCI noted that the allegation of abuse of dominance does not warrant further examination as OPs (InterGlobe Aviation and Air India) have in place a system for refu

Months after IndiGo meltdown, CEO resigns; Bhatia to take interim role

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers resigns citing personal reasons three months after the airline's operational meltdown, with promoter and MD Rahul Bhatia set to lead as interim chief

Akasa Air unveils long-term incentive plan to retain pilots amid hiring war

Akasa Air has launched a long-term incentive plan offering up to ₹25 lakh for captains to retain pilots amid rising competition in India's fast-growing aviation sector

Air India, AI Express to operate 60 flights to West Asia on Tuesday

Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 60 flights to and from cities in the Middle East, including 32 non-scheduled services connecting the UAE. Amid the escalating Middle East conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, airlines are operating services in a calibrated manner as there are airspace restrictions and closures in the region. On Tuesday, Air India and Air India Express will together operate 14 flights to and from Jeddah, while Air India Express will operate 14 services to and from Muscat. "In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express would operate a total of 32 ad hoc non-scheduled flights between Indian cities and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 10 March 2026, subject to the availability of slots and other conditions prevailing at the respective point of departure at the time," a statement said on Monday. These 32 flights will connect to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah from different Indian cities. Akasa Air sai

IndiGo London-Mumbai flight diverted to Cairo; Delhi-Manchester returns

Another IndiGo flight operating from London Heathrow to Mumbai, diverted to Cairo on March 8 due to Flight Duty Time Limitations, and will resume its journey on March 10

Embraer sees E175 assembly in India in 2028 if it secures 200 orders

Earlier this ​year, Embraer and India's Adani Group had announced a memorandum of understanding to establish a final assembly ‌line for the Brazilian firm's first-generation jetliners in India