Page 15 - Civil Aviation

Industry expects Budget to provide thrust to UDAN, help more airports

The govt has set a target to operationalize 1,000 UDAN routes during the currency of the scheme and to revive and develop 100 unserved and underserved airports, heliports, water aerodromes by 2024

UK regional airline Flybe slumps into bankruptcy for second time in 3 years

Struggling UK regional airline Flybe collapsed for the second time in three years Saturday, putting jobs on the line and leaving passengers stranded. The airline initially slumped into bankruptcy in March 2020, shedding 2,400 jobs, as coronavirus restrictions decimated the travel industry. It relaunched in April last year, flying many of the same routes out of Belfast, Birmingham and London Heathrow. In a statement, the grounded flyer said it had called in bankruptcy accountants again, and warned passengers not to travel to airports as all flights were now cancelled, including its international routes from Switzerland and the Netherlands. The UK's Civil Aviation Authority said passengers should make their own alternative travel arrangements via other airlines, rail or coach operators, leaving customers with lengthy and potentially expensive trips to get home. CAA consumer director Paul Smith said: It is always sad to see an airline enter administration and we know that Flybe's ...

DGCA imposes Rs 10-lakh penalty on Go First for 9 January incident

This is the third case of an airline getting penalised for lapses

Tata's Air India to seal half of jumbo plane order of 495 jets: Report

The order, once finalised, aims to put Air India in the league of large global airlines

British Airways sees strong India demand, adds third flight from Mumbai

UK airline adding capacity for 'incredibly important market' in face of increased competition

Air India modifies in-flight alcohol service policy amid recent incidents

Amid recent incidents of unruly passenger behaviour, Air India has modified its in-flight alcohol service policy wherein cabin crew have been told to tactfully further serving of alcohol if needed. The Tata group-owned airline has been slapped with penalties in the last few days by DGCA for the unruly behaviour of passengers onboard two international flights for reporting lapses. The exact changes in the revised policy could not be immediately ascertained. According to the revised policy, guests should not be permitted to drink alcohol unless served by the cabin crew and that the cabin crew be attentive to identifying guests that might be consuming their own alcohol. "Service of alcoholic beverages must be carried out in a reasonable and safe manner. This includes tactfully refusing to (further) serve a guest alcohol," as per the policy. In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said the airline has reviewed its existing in-flight alcohol service policy, taking reference from othe

Pilot's licence suspension over passenger incident 'excessive': Air India

The regulator also suspended the licence of the pilot-in-command on the New York-New Delhi flight for three months

Vistara expects to have 70 planes in fleet by mid-2024: CEO Vinod Kannan

Full service carrier Vistara will continue to expand and expects to have a total of 70 planes by mid-2024, its chief Vinod Kannan said on Tuesday. The airline, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, reported an operating profit for the first time since inception in the three months ended December 2022. By the middle of next year, Kannan said it will have a total of 70 aircraft, including 7 Boeing 787s. Out of the total 70 planes, there will also be 10 A321s and 53 A320 neos, the Vistara CEO said at a briefing. Among the 53 A320 neos, 10 planes will have all economy class and the rest will have three classes. Currently, the airline has a fleet of 53 aircraft. "We will continue to expand... more international routes (will be added)," Kannan said. Without disclosing the exact profit figure in the December quarter, the airline also said it crossed the USD 1 billion revenue mark and remained EBITDA positive in the current fiscal year. EBITDA refers to Earnings Bef

SpiceJet offloads passenger for unruly behaviour at Delhi airport

SpiceJet on Monday offloaded a passenger from a Hyderabad-bound aircraft for unruly behaviour at the Delhi airport. The incident happened onboard a SpiceJet wet-leased Corendon aircraft that was scheduled to operate SG-8133 flight from Delhi to Hyderabad. "During boarding at Delhi, one passenger behaved in an unruly and inappropriate manner, harassing and causing disturbance to cabin crew. The crew informed PIC (Pilot In Command) and security staff of the same. The said passenger and a co-passenger, who were travelling together, were offloaded and handed over to the security team," the airline said in a statement. A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it is looking into the matter and will take appropriate action.

Airbus to win 235 single-aisle jet orders under Air India relaunch -sources

The deal, roughly split with rival Boeing, is set to cover a total of 425 single-aisle jets including 235 Airbus A320neo-family planes as well as 190 Boeing 737 MAX airliners

Budget carrier Scoot apologises for Amritsar-Singapore flight incident

As many as 263 passengers, who boarded the flight, reported at the airport well in time

Urination incident: Air India imposes 4-month flying ban on Shankar Mishra

The incident had happened on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26, 2022

Tejasvi Surya himself reported, apologised for IndiGo incident: Scindia

When asked about the incident, Scindia said it had happened on the ground

Covid safety rules increased unruly passenger behavior on flights: Data

Most incidents verbal in nature and involved intentional non-compliance with safety regulations

Air India is set to order around 500 planes: AirLease Corp's exec chairman

Industry sources say finalising the proposed deal depends on ongoing negotiations with engine makers

IIFCL extends Rs 6,630-cr loan for development of airports: MD Jaishankar

To support the massive growth in the aviation sector, the India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) has extended a credit of Rs 6,630 crore for the development of six major airports in the country and looks forward to increasing its exposure in the coming years, said its managing director P R Jaishankar. Bullish on the growth of the aviation sector in the country, he said, the IIFCL also given in-principle approval of Rs 638 crore for the development of a greenfield airport in Andhra Pradesh. Over the past few years, India has seen massive growth in the airport sector, with increasing investments from both government and private sector, thanks to a rising proportion of middle-income households, infrastructure build-up at leading airports and supportive policy framework. "With an aim to finance development of world class airport infrastructure in India, IIFCL has, till date, sanctioned Rs 6,630 crore to six major airports in India in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Navi Mumbai,

Regional carrier Flybig starts flight service from Itanagar to Guwahati

Regional carrier Flybig on Sunday started service from Itanagar to Guwahati. The carrier has commenced flight from Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh to Guwahati in Assam. "Itanagar is the 10th destination on Flybig network; while the third destination in Arunachal Pradesh alone. Flybig also flies six days a week to Tezu and seven days to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh from Guwahati," it said in a release. The direct morning flight from Itanagar to Guwahati will be operated on all days except Wednesday. Flybig started its operations in January 2021 with ATR 72-500 and ATR 72-600 planes.

Air India to launch 12 weekly flights to London Gatwick airport from March

Air India also operates three flights each from Amritsar and Delhi to Birmingham in the UK every week

LIVE: Former Union Minister Sharad Yadav passes away, confirms his daughter

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Air India in touch with authority after US grounds flights due to glitch

Air India said that it is in touch with the relevant authority after flights across the US were grounded due to a technical glitch in the FAA computer system