Page 13 - Aviation

India needs over $170 bn to fund aviation expansion: S&P Global Ratings

India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets and domestic passenger traffic is expected to double to 300 million by 2030

Average airfares around Diwali drop 20-25% on many domestic routes

Air passengers might have a reason to smile this Diwali season as average airfares on many domestic routes have dropped 20-25 per cent compared to the year-ago period, according to an analysis. Increased capacity and the recent fall in oil prices are considered to be among the factors for the fall in air ticket prices. The analysis by travel portal ixigo showed that average airfare on the domestic routes have declined in the range of 20-25 per cent. The prices are for one-way average fare on a 30 days APD (advanced purchase date) basis. For 2023, the time period considered is November 10-16 while it is October 28-November 3 for this year. This is the time around Diwali. The maximum decline of average airfare is 38 per cent for a Bengaluru-Kolkata flight to Rs 6,319 this year from Rs 10,195 last year, as per the analysis. The ticket price on Chennai-Kolkata route has fallen 36 per cent to Rs 5,604 from Rs 8,725. The average airfare for Mumbai-Delhi flight has dropped 34 per cent

Sky High explores IndiGo's unique approach and its future path

What keeps one going through the pages of this book is its racy style, quite like a reporter's diary with anecdotes seen and heard

IndiGo's punctuality drops to 54% on Saturday due to systems outage

The airline's OTP between October 1 and October 4 was somewhere between 74.9 and 80.3 per cent, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation's data

Airlines suspend flights in region amidst rising Middle East tensions

Airlines said they would avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace amid rise in escalation

An air train at Delhi airport: Travel from T1 to T3 smoothly in 2028

This project is designed to cut down on travel time, offering smooth connections across key hubs like Terminal 1, Terminal 2/3, Aerocity, and Cargo City

Merger in full swing: Air India group to introduce uniform crew policy

Some of the new policies have been welcomed by pilots and cabin crew, while others have sparked criticism

Digi Yatra to be made available in regional, int'l languages: Official

Digi Yatra, which seeks to provide seamless movement at airport check points, will be made available in regional and international languages, according to a senior official. The facility is now available at 24 airports and is expected to be rolled out at 4-5 more airports in the coming months. Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi on Tuesday said a pilot project is likely by June next year for connecting two countries with Digi Yatra. Under the pilot project, foreign citizens will be able to use Digi Yatra. Speaking at the CAPA India Digital Aviation Summit in the national capital, Khadakbhavi said a campaign will be started to sensitise passengers about the facility. While Digi Yatra is slowly gaining traction, concerns have been expressed in various quarters about the privacy of data of the passengers. He said Digi Yatra will be made available in regional and international languages. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seam

Driving towards net zero: India's strategic push for sustainable trucking

India's net-zero carbon strategy has focused intensely on sectors such as automotive, power, steel, aviation, cement, and agriculture, which collectively contribute significantly to carbon emissions

Engine maker GE Aerospace plans increasing sourcing components from India

Engine maker GE Aerospace plans to increase sourcing of components from India, which is a growing aviation market, a senior company official has said. The company has a manufacturing facility in Pune and the John F Welch Technology Centre in Bengaluru. Currently, it has 13 major suppliers, including Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). Mahendra Nair, Group Vice President for Commercial Programs at GE Aerospace, said India's contribution to the supply chain will increase. "We have got some very capable companies in India with the right engineering talent, the right production footprint and as long as they can meet the technical standards that we are looking for, it is only upside and it is going to grow. "India is a market that is going to grow and that makes sense for us to continue sourcing more from India," Nair told PTI during a recent interview in the national capital. Vikram Rai, South Asia Chief Executive Officer of GE Aerospace, said the company's sourcing has gone up by 20 ti

Govt plans to increase airport number to 350 to boost connectivity, tourism

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Friday said as India strives towards becoming a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, the ministry is seeking to increase the number of airports in the country to 350 and boost tourism. In his address at an event held to mark the World Tourism Day at Vigyan Bhawan here, he also said his ministry is working on connecting more hinterlands locations which are close to unexplored sites. Naidu emphasised the government's vision of boosting domestic connectivity and providing better facilities and warm hospitality at airports to welcome foreign tourists, as airports are "gateways to a country". "Today, we have 157 airports but in the next 20-25 years, when we are going to see the real Viksit Bharat in 2047, we want to increase the number of airports which is 157 today to the tune of 350," he said at the event hosted by the Tourism Ministry. He also congratulated the tourism ministry after Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announc

Outdated fleet and seats, supply woes hinder Air India's turnaround

Global shortages are hurting plans for most airlines, but the problem is more acute for Air India

Aviation division of Russian Black Sea Fleet conducts sea and air drills

The combat mission tasks were conducted in the dark, at different altitudes and included crews climbing into the stratosphere

Strike by Boeing workers shows no signs of ending after its 1st week

A labour strike at Boeing showed no signs of ending on Friday, as the walkout by 33,000 union machinists entered its eighth day and the company started rolling furloughs of nonunion employees to conserve cash. Federal mediators joined talks between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers this week, but union officials reported that little progress was made during the first two sessions. The union said no further talks were scheduled. A Boeing spokesperson said on Friday that the company's goal is to reach an agreement with the union as quickly as possible. She declined to comment further. The walkout started September 13, when members of a regional district of the IAM union voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike after they rejected a proposed contract that would have raised their pay by 25 per cent over four years. Workers say they want raises of 40 per cent and a restoration of traditional pension benefits that were eliminated about a decade .

Indian carriers soar on international routes but foreign rivals lead

On the popular India-Singapore route, Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary Scoot remain dominant despite competition from IndiGo, Air India (A-I), A-I Express, and Vistara

Boeing furloughs thousands as it hunkers down for prolonged strike

A protracted labor battle could cost Boeing several billion dollars, further straining finances and threatening its credit rating

Will begin furloughs soon to save cash during labour strike: Boeing CEO

Boeing's CEO said Wednesday that the company will begin furloughing a large number of employees to conserve cash during the strike by union machinists that began last week. Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg said the layoffs would be temporary and affect executives, managers and other employees. About 33,000 Boeing factory workers in the Pacific Northwest began a strike Friday after rejecting a proposal to raise pay by 25 per cent over four years. They want raises of at least 40 per cent and other improvements in the deal that they voted down. The furloughs are expected to affect tens of thousands of Boeing employees. Ortberg said employees will be furloughed for one week every four weeks, and he and other senior executives will take pay cuts during the duration of the strike.

IndiGo flight to Doha faces tech issue; long wait for passengers onboard

Passengers of an IndiGo flight from the city to Doha waited inside the aircraft for more than four hours as the flight was delayed due to a technical issue on Sunday. Some passengers took to social media to complain about the long flight delay and that they had to wait for long. The flight was to take off on Sunday early morning. Passengers were inside the aircraft for more than four hours before they deplaned. The flight is now expected to take off later in the day from the Mumbai airport, sources in the know said. IndiGo said its flight 6E 1303, operating from Mumbai to Doha, was delayed due to a technical reason. "The aircraft tried to depart for its destination a couple of times but had to finally be called off due to the extended time lag on account of various procedural delays," the airline said in a statement. While apologising for the inconvenience, IndiGo said its airport team immediately provided assistance to the affected customers and provided refreshments and necessa

Here's how the strike by Boeing machinists will impact airline flights

A strike by some 33,000 Boeing machinists has halted production of the American aerospace giant's best-selling airplanes. The workers began picketing at Boeing factories and plants in Washington, Oregon and California on Friday after rejecting a contract offer their union negotiated and endorsed. The work stoppage will not immediately impact commercial flights but could still bring significant losses for the company, which is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, but has its roots in the Seattle area, where it makes most of its planes for airlines. Boeing is already dealing with a battered reputation and financial struggles that have piled up over recent years. Here's what to know about the potential impact of the strike and what might happen next. Will the strike affect airline flights? The strike won't affect travelers unless it lasts a very long time. The strike stops production of the 737 Max, Boeing's best-selling airliner, along with the 777 or triple-seven jet and the 767 c

SpiceJet's domestic market share shrinks to 2.3%, shows DGCA data

Overall, Indian carriers carried a total of 13.1 million domestic passengers, which was 5.7 per cent more year-on-year