Page 3 - Aviation News

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

AAP MP Raghav Chadha urgers govt to open Udan Yatri Cafes at more airports

The Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Monday urged the government to ensure that more Udan Yatri Cafes are opened at airports across the country to provide affordable eating options to passengers. Raising the issue in the special mentions in Rajya Sabha, he lauded the Udan Yatri Cafes, a government-backed initiative providing affordable, high-quality snacks and beverages at major Indian airports. Chadha, however, said that the "ground reality" is that these cafes are only there at a few airports. "Usually, passengers eat in the waiting area before boarding, but the Udan Yatri cafes are before check-in and security, so passengers are not able to use them," he said. "Due to limited counters, there are long queues, especially during peak traffic hours. Further, the limited menu options and capacity constraints restrict accessibility," he added. Chadha urged the government to ensure these affordable cafes are opened at all airports and are made more accessible.

Air India Express, Akasa add flights to Ahmedabad for T20 World Cup final

Air India Express and Akasa Air on Friday announced that they will operate special flights to Ahmedabad, providing more travel options to the city for the T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand on March 8. "To facilitate cricket fans travelling to witness the final, the airline will operate additional flights to Ahmedabad from Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. These flights have been scheduled in response to the sharp increase in demand for travel to the city as fans across the country plan to attend the highly anticipated match," Air India Express said in a release. The airline also said it continues to closely monitor booking trends and might consider further capacity enhancements based on demand. Akasa Air will operate special direct flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on March 8 and 9, complementing its existing network between the two cities. "SkyLights will illuminate the cabin with the colours of the Indian tricolour, leveraging the dynamic lighting featur

Noida International Airport gets DGCA aerodrome licence ahead of launch

DGCA has granted an aerodrome licence to Noida International Airport, enabling it to advance its approvals process even as the project faces delays in terminal construction and operational readiness

Air India to launch Hanoi-Delhi, Tokyo-Mumbai non-stop flights services

Air India on Thursday announced the launch of its non-stop flight services on the Hanoi-Delhi and Tokyo (Haneda)-Mumbai routes starting in the June quarter as part of its expansion across Asia. The Tata group airline already operates to Vietnam and Japan with flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo (Haneda) from the national capital. The new five-time weekly services to Hanoi, starting from May 1, will complement daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City. This provides greater flexibility to travellers who intend to visit Vietnam with open jaw itineraries-entering from Hanoi and exiting Ho Chi Minh City or vice versa, Air India said, adding these services will be operated with a A320neo aircraft in a three-calss configuration--business Premium economy as well as Economy Class. The opening of this new route adds 7,028 seats to and from Vietnam each month, Air India said. Vietnam, which now ranks as the third-most-visited country in Southeast Asia, having recorded over 20 million visitors in

IndiGo may face further downgrades as Iran conflict clouds outlook

IndiGo's earlier positive outlook has been upended by the Iran conflict, with airspace closures, rising fuel costs and operational disruptions raising the risk of further valuation downgrades

Air India to add more flights to Toronto, Frankfurt, Paris amid high demand

Air India on Wednesday announced the deployment of additional flights to Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to cater to high demand amid the ongoing situation in West Asia. Air India's low-cost subsidiary Air India Express also announced that its air services to Muscat will remain operational, besides mounting additional flights between Muscat and Delhi and Mumbai. As part of this, the Tata group-owned airline will operate three additional flights between Delhi and Toronto from March 5 -11, besides adding three flights between Delhi and Frankfurt, and one flight between Delhi and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) from March 7 -10 March, Air India said. These additional services will provide more flight options to travellers on these select routes with convenient connections beyond Delhi to destinations across Air India's vast domestic India and Southeast Asia networks. Air India also said that it will continue to "closely assess" the situation and will add flights on these ..

Oman Air Cargo to add India, Europe network capacity in coming days

Oman Air Cargo, a key cargo carrier in the Middle East, has announced to add network capacity to various destinations, including India, soon. The cargo player has suspended flights to and from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Dubai due to ongoing regional airspace closures. "Extra belly hold capacity will also be added to our network over the coming days through new flights between Oman, the United Kingdom, Europe, India, and Asia," the company said in a statement. "Flights across the rest of our network may be delayed as a result of longer flight paths. We are working to ensure that all affected cargo is rescheduled once we have more clarity on airspace restrictions," it added. "All customers are being contacted to confirm the status of their cargo, and we will continue to provide regular operational updates. The safety of our staff remains our priority, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities and airport partners to ensure that all necessary precautions are in

West Asia crisis: IndiGo to operate 10 relief flights from Jeddah on Tue

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on X on Monday night that it continued to closely monitor the situation in the West Asia region to facilitate relief for passengers

Aloke Singh to step down as Air India Express MD after five-year tenure

Air India Express MD Aloke Singh will exit on 19 March after steering the airline through privatisation, a merger with AirAsia India, a four-fold fleet expansion and a major brand overhaul