Page 6 - Civil Aviation Sector

IndiGo sets up desk for passengers with special needs at Delhi airport

IndiGo on Tuesday said it has set up a desk to facilitate check-in for passengers with special needs at Terminal 1 of the airport in the national capital. "Currently, IndiGo has over 20 specially-abled employees and staff at the Delhi airport, who will also be deployed at these desks for assistance," the airline said in a release. The desk will facilitate check-in for passengers with special needs, it added. According to the release, the airline also offers pre-board courtesy and provisions for customers with sensory impairments, mobility assistance, spinal support equipment, and adverse medical conditions.

'Indian airlines will need 60 wide-body planes for long routes by FY2032'

Indian airlines will require around 60 more wide-body aircraft to serve long and ultra-long haul markets in financial year 2032, aviation consultancy CAPA India said on Thursday. India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets but at present, only Air India and Vistara have wide-body planes in their fleets. IndiGo on Thursday announced placing a firm order for 30 A35-900 planes and also has the right to buy up to 70 more aircraft. During a webinar on 'Outlook for Wide-body Aircraft in India', the consultancy said the country's long and ultra-long haul market is "ripe for disruption, provided that Indian carriers lead the charge". Long and ultra-long haul operations can be structurally profitable given the strong demand for non-stop connectivity, it said and added that higher pricing thresholds and stability are visible. Further, it said the wide-body aircraft needed by Indian carriers to serve long and ultra-long haul markets by FY2032 will be around 100, which

IndiGo places first-ever widebody aircraft order for 30 Airbus A350 jets

Such a deal would be worth more than $9 billion, as per the last catalogue rates published in 2018

Boeing, Spirit agree on $425 mn deal to address supplier's issues

Spirit will also provide to Boeing specified financial information on a weekly basis

DGCA directs airlines to seat kids up to 12 years with their parents

Airlines shall ensure that children up to the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents or guardians, who are travelling on the same PNR the DGCA mentioned

Differentiated regulations for civilian and defence use of drones on cards

Drone (Amendment) Rules 2023, had done away with several roadblocks, like stringent requirements for obtaining a Remote Pilot Certificate

Bengaluru International Airport records highest passenger traffic in FY23

Kempegowda International Airport has witnessed the highest-ever annual passenger traffic and cargo numbers, with a total of 37.53 million passengers traversing through its terminals and 4,39,524 metric tonne of cargo passing through the airport during the financial year 2023-24. The airport catered to 32.86 million domestic and 4.67 million international passengers during this period, it said. "As we reflect on the past financial year, it's been a landmark period with the highest passenger and cargo figures ever recorded in our airport's history. We've also seen an increase in the number of airlines as well as destinations we connect to. "Our position as the No.1 Airport for processing perishable cargo for the third consecutive year highlights our steadfast commitment to advancing cargo development facilities," said Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Operating Officer at Bangalore International Airport Limited. With the successful launch of Terminal 2 and partnerships with leading airlines a

Govt looking at differentiated regulated framework for civilian use drones

The civil aviation ministry will look at having a differentiated regulatory framework for drones used for civilian and industrial purposes, a senior official said on Tuesday as he pitched for indigenous development of the drone ecosystem. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam also emphasised that the government will make efforts to promote drones as well as push advanced air mobility. Speaking at the national conference on drones in the national capital, he said that "much has been done and more will be done" on the regulations for drones. The ministry is looking at having a differentiated regulatory framework for civilian and industrial drones, he noted. A Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for drones and drone components was notified in September 2021. An incentive of Rs 120 crore is being provided for Indian manufacturers of drone and drone components on the basis of value addition and certain other conditions. At the conference organised by industry body CII, Vual

Ambani's Jamnagar pre-wedding bash: IAF helped manage 600+ jets in 5 days

The airfield in Jamnagar was designated an international airport for the five-day event celebrating Anant Ambani's engagement with Radhika Merchant

Digi Yatra with modifications to be rolled at 14 more airports in April

Digi Yatra is likely to be rolled out at 14 more airports by the end of this month and efforts are on to make the facility more user friendly with certain changes in the architecture, according to a top executive. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports and currently, there are nearly 5 million users. The facility is now there at 14 airports for domestic passengers and discussions are ongoing with various stakeholders concerned to make it available for international travellers as well. Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi told PTI that Digi Yatra is expected to be available at 14 more airports by the end of April. A not-for-profit entity, the foundation is the nodal agency for Digi Yatra, which was introduced in December 2022. The 14 new airports where the facility is to be rolled out soon are Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dabolim, Indore

Summer airfares on major domestic routes increase by 13%, shows data

However, the data also shows that summer airfares on key routes such as Delhi-Leh and Delhi-Kolkata have significantly decreased due to the introduction of new flights

'Indicate' timeline to implement new FDTL rules: DGCA to airlines

FDTL norms are crucial as they guarantee sufficient rest for pilots, minimising the risk of untoward incidents

Go First insolvency resolution gets a 60-day extension from NCLT

Go First filed for voluntary insolvency on May 2, 2023, under Section 10 of IBC, and on May 10, the NCLT admitted Go First's insolvency plea

'Crew unavailability': Vistara cancels 50 flights, several others delayed

The airline has deployed larger aircraft like the B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select routes to merge flights or accommodate more passengers

AAI planning capex of Rs 30,000 cr in next five years: Jyotiraditya Scindia

AAI Chairman Sanjeev Kumar said the AAI's capex in 2023-24 stood at Rs 5,250 crore. It was a bit higher than the capex of 2022-23, which stood at Rs 5,175 crore

Over 44% passengers paid extra charges on booking flight tickets: Survey

As much as 44 per cent respondents in a survey complained that they had to pay extra charges to get a seat at the time of purchase of a flight ticket. Many of the respondents also reported paying between Rs 200 and Rs 2,000 as seat allocation fee, which can amount to 5-40 per cent of the air fare, LocalCircles, which carried out the survey, said in a statement. It also said there has been a very marginal improvement in the last 12 months in the ability of consumers to get a free seat when booking their flight. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs and consumer regulator CCPA late last year convened a meeting of the airlines on the issue and questioned them about the alleged unfair trade practices and misleading claims of "free" web check-in, it said. The new survey, which received over 41,000 responses from consumers across 339 districts of the country, has focused on fliers' problems when booking for travel with family members, particularly young children, LocalCircles said. According

SpiceJet settles Rs 755 crore liabilities with aircraft lessor EDC

This will allow airline to own 13 of the 15 Bombardier Q400 aircraft financed by the Canadian agency

DGCA defers June 1 deadline for new pilot rest norms; airlines relieved

The regulator on Tue said airlines can continue to comply with the old FDTL norms, issued in 2019, 'till approval of their respective scheme in compliance with this CAR (civil aviation requirement)'

IndiGo exploring purchase of widebody aircraft to counter Air India

IndiGo has repeatedly toyed with the idea of introducing long-haul services to tap the growing pool of affluent Indians flying further afield to places such as the UK and Europe

New FDTL rules: Have enough pilots, won't cancel flights, says Akasa CEO

As of February 2024, the cancellation rate at Akasa Air has been 0.30 per cent, which is the lowest among domestic Indian carriers