Page 6 - Civil Aviation

Canada's Lynx Air to shut down, leaving no clarity for customers on refunds

Canadian discount airline Lynx Air will shut down on Monday and suggested that it could cancel many flights over the weekend too, leaving customers scrambling to make new travel plans. Lynx announced the shutdown late Thursday and told customers to contact their credit-card company about getting a refund for cancelled flights. The Calgary, Alberta, airline said it could not help with refunds. Canada's transport minister, Pablo Rodriguez, said he was following Lynx's announcement that it was filing for restructuring. He said he expected Lynx to help passengers get home and fully refund customers. The shutdown will take effect early Monday. On its website, the airline said, we will continue to operate the majority of our flights through this weekend. The airline said it put tremendous work into growth after launching the Lynx brand two years ago, but that inflation, fuel costs, competition and other factors have ultimately proven too steep a mountain for our organisation to ...

Regulator BCAS seeks explanation from Vistara on Mumbai airport incident

Regulator BCAS has sought an explanation from Vistara on the incident at the Mumbai airport where passengers from a Dubai flight were taken to the domestic terminal without completing the immigration process, a senior official said on Tuesday. The incident happened on February 4. Some passengers of Vistara flight UK 202 from Dubai were taken to domestic arrivals instead of international arrivals after landing at the Mumbai airport without completing the immigration process. The official said the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has sought an explanation from Vistara on the incident. In a statement on Monday, a Vistara spokesperson said a "few of our customers, arriving from Dubai to Mumbai on Vistara flight UK 202 on February 4, were erroneously taken to domestic arrivals instead of international arrivals". The airline's team worked alongside security agencies and relevant authorities to ensure that these passengers were taken to the designated area to complete their arriv

Authorities look at Airport design, e-biometrics to speed up immigration

To expedite immigration and security check processes at airports, authorities will look at possible changes in the interior design of airports, cross utilisation of X-ray machines at domestic and international terminals as well as use of new technologies, including e-biometrics. At an advisory committee meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday, various plans were discussed to speed up immigration and security check processes for international passengers. "We are currently discussing the design models to speed up immigration & security for international travellers. New technologies such as e-biometrics are also on the anvil and are currently being tested. These will be key in our vision for international aviation hubs in India," Scindia said in a post on X. The meeting was attended by representatives of airport operators, officials from the ministries of civil aviation, home and external affairs, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Central Industrial

Civil aviation ministry to get Rs 2,300 cr budgetary allocation for 2024-25

The budgetary allocation for the civil aviation ministry has come down to Rs 2,300 crore for the next financial year. For the ministry, the allocation in the revised budgetary estimate for the current fiscal ending March 2024 stood at Rs 2,922.12 crore. According to the documents of the interim Budget for 2024-25, the ministry will get an allocation of Rs 2,300 crore, including the revenue component of Rs 2,257.79 crore. Out of the total amount, Air India Asset Holding Ltd (AIAHL) will get Rs 1,158.79 crore in the next fiscal, higher than Rs 713.92 crore allocated for 2023-24. The provision is kept for servicing of loans transferred to AIAHL as a result of financial restructuring of Air India, as per the Budget document. AIAHL is a special purpose vehicle formed by the government that holds various assets of the national carrier Air India. The allocation for Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Drone and Drone Component has been hiked to Rs 57 crore for 2024-25, from Rs 3

New FDTL norms will not affect Akasa Air's flight schedule: CEO Vinay Dube

The new mandate has increased weekly rest periods for flight crew to 48 hours in a week from the previous 36 hours

As passengers eat on airport tarmac, BCAS issues notice to IndiGo, MIAL

Aviation security watchdog BCAS has issued show cause notices to IndiGo and Mumbai airport operator MIAL over the incident of passengers having food on the airport tarmac on Sunday, according to official sources. Many passengers rushed out of an IndiGo aircraft at the Mumbai airport, sat on the tarmac, and some were also seen having food there as soon as their diverted Goa-Delhi flight landed after a long delay on Sunday. Both IndiGo and MIAL were not proactive in anticipating the situation and making the appropriate facilitation arrangements for passengers at the airport, as per the notices issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The sources said the aircraft was allotted a remote bay C-33 instead of a Contact Stand, an aircraft parking stand that is suitable for walking passengers to and from an aircraft from an allocated boarding gate. This further added to passenger woes and deprived them the opportunity to avail basic facilities like rest rooms and refreshments

Delhi airport: 10 flights diverted, nearly 100 delayed amid dense fog

A total of 10 flights were diverted, nearly 100 delayed and some cancelled at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning as low visibility conditions due to dense fog disrupted operations. An official said a total of 10 flights, including 2 international flights, were diverted to Jaipur between 4.30 am and 12 noon. Nearly 100 flights, including overseas services, were delayed and some of the flights cancelled due to the bad weather, the official said. Through social media, airlines said their flight schedules might be impacted due to adverse weather conditions. Among the impacted flights, Air India's flight AI 185 from the national capital to Vancouver that was to depart early in the morning was rescheduled. Passengers had to wait inside the aircraft for many hours before they deboarded. After boarding was complete, the flight, which was to depart little past 5 am could not take off due to the dense fog. An airline official said that after waiting for a few hours, it was decided to ...

48 hrs weekly rest, only 2 night landings in rules to avoid crew fatigue

The revision in FDTL regulations is expected to influence flight schedules and may result in certain implications when it comes to operating costs, aviation sources said

Merger into Air India likely by mid 2025, says Vistara CEO Kannan

Kannan emphasised that the airline is cash flow positive and will not require any capital infusion from its stakeholders in the near future

DGCA to enhance regulatory capacity to induct more planes this year

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday said there are a total of 16 airlines in the country that are operating with 771 aircraft.The DGCA informed through an official statement on Thursday that in line with the anticipated increase in aircraft inductions in 2024, it was suitably enhancing its regulatory capacity to further speed up the regulatory approvals related to the induction of aircraft.It informed further that the DGCA grants Air Operator Certificates (AOC) to Airline Operators for undertaking Scheduled and Scheduled Commuter Air transport Services. As of December 31, 2023, there are a total of 16 AOC holders endorsed with a total of 771 aircraft, the topmost regulatory authority for flight operations informed.In addition, DGCA has permitted airline operators to induct 21 aircraft on a wet/damp lease basis in 2023 to cater for capacity shortfall due to the grounding of aircraft.Last year, the scheduled operators inducted a total of 112 aircraft in their fleet ...

IndiGo passenger finds worm in sandwich served on flight, airline responds

An IndiGo passenger found a worm in a sandwich served onboard a flight from the national capital to Mumbai, and a video was shared on social media, following which the airline apologised and said the matter is under thorough examination. The incident happened onboard flight 6E 6107 from Delhi to Mumbai on Friday. The woman passenger Kushboo Gupta shared on Instagram a short video of the worm in the sandwich onboard the flight. When contacted for comments on the video, an airline spokesperson said the airline is aware of the concern raised by one of its customers regarding the experience on flight 6E 6107 from Delhi to Mumbai. "Upon investigation, our crew had immediately ceased the service of the specific sandwich in question. The matter is currently under thorough examination, and we are working closely with our caterer to ensure appropriate corrective measures are taken. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to the passenger," the spokesperson said in a statement on

AI Express' flights connecting Ayodhya with Bengaluru, Kolkata from Jan 17

Air India Express on Friday said it will start direct flights connecting Ayodhya with Bengaluru and Kolkata from January 17. Earlier this month, the airline announced direct flight between Ayodhya and Delhi. In a release, the airline said the flights on the Bengaluru-Ayodhya and Kolkata-Ayodhya routes will be launched on January 17. The carrier will operate its inaugural flights between Ayodhya and Delhi on Saturday, alongside the inauguration of the Maharishi Valmiki International Airport Ayodhya Dham, it added. The airport will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "As pivotal hubs in our network, Bengaluru and Kolkata will serve as gateways to Ayodhya, providing pilgrims from South India and Eastern India with convenient one-stop itineraries," Air India Express Chief Commercial Officer Ankur Garg said. Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said tomorrow will be a historic day for the country with the inauguration of the Ayodhya airport, which will be

Ayodhya airport inauguration will be historic day for India: Scindia

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said tomorrow will be a historic day for the country with the inauguration of the Ayodhya airport, which will be expanded hugely in the second phase by augmenting overall area and increasing the runway length. The Ayodhya airport, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, is built over an area of 6,500 square metres. In an interview to PTI, Scindia said the connectivity from the Ayodhya airport will only grow in the days to come. "There is tremendous potential with civil aviation across the country providing capability and especially for Ayodhya which is religiously and spiritually entwined in our hearts," he said. According to him, the second phase of the airport project will be hugely expansive going from the 6,500 square metres facility to 50,000 square metres. "We are expanding the runway to 3,750 metres which is good enough for international flights," he added. The first phase of the Ayodhya .

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to go 'silent' from Jan 1

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport here will be going 'silent' from January 1, 2024. In a 'silent airport', passengers will be provided a noise-free and peaceful travel experience, an airport statement here said on Wednesday. "The Silent Airport initiative is to ensure that passengers can enjoy a relaxed auditory experience while they utilise their wait time enjoying their favorite activities without disturbance," a TRV (Kerala) International Airport Limited (TIAL) spokesperson said. As part of the initiative, the airport will ensure that no vital information for passengers is missed and that TIAL will display flight information in all Flight Information Display Screens across Terminal-1 and Terminal-2, it said. Only announcements related to change in boarding gate as well as Inline Baggage Screening System will be made at the airport, it added. Emergency and security related announcements will continue on the public announcement systems as per the requirements. A campa

Grounding 200 aircraft to have minimal impact on passenger traffic: Report

The likely grounding of 200 aircraft by March next year will have minimal impact on air passenger traffic, according to a report. Air passenger traffic is expected to reach about 375 million passengers, 1.09 times of pre-pandemic levels, in the current fiscal, the report by credit ratings agency CareEdge said. Research and advisory firm CAPA India had late last month said Indian airlines fleet continues to be severely constrained and close to 200 aircraft may go out of operations by the end of FY24 due to supply chain issues and maintenance purposes. "Despite the projection of around 200 aircraft being grounded by March 2024, the impact on traffic is expected to be minimal, at 3-4 per cent," CareEdge Ratings Director Maulesh Desai said. This is attributed to the extension of wet leases and an increase in passenger load, he said. Noting that passenger traffic will reach new heights in the next fiscal, with a healthy Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14 per cent from FY23 to F

Domestic air passenger traffic rose by 9% in November; crosses 1.27 cr

Domestic air passenger traffic rose 9 per cent to more than 1.27 crore in November, according to official data released on Friday. Last month also saw daily air traffic touching new highs multiple times. IndiGo remained the country's largest domestic carrier but its market share declined to 61.8 per cent in November from 62.6 per cent in October. However, none of the scheduled carriers had an On-Time Performance (OTP) score of more than 80 per cent in November. Official data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday showed that airlines flew 1.27 crore passengers in November compared to 1.17 crore in the year-ago period. This marks a growth of 9.06 per cent on an annual basis. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2023 were 1,382.34 lakhs as against 1,105.10 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering annual growth of 25.09 per cent and monthly growth of 9.06 per cent," DGCA said. The domestic

Air India unveils new uniform collection designed by Manish Malhotra

Private carrier Air India on Tuesday unveiled its new collection of uniforms, designed by Manish Malhotra, for its cabin and cockpit crew. The new uniforms will be introduced in a phased manner over the next few months, starting with the entry of service of Air India's first Airbus A350 aircraft, the company said in a statement. "Air India's crew uniforms are amongst the world's most storied in aviation history, and we firmly believe that Manish Malhotra's innovative ensemble will script an exciting new chapter for Air India's future narrative," said Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Air India. The crew's new uniform perfectly captures the essence of the airline's new identity, among others, he said. The female cabin crew attire features a ready-to-wear ombre saree with intricate patterns reminiscent of Indian heritage architecture (jharokha) and the Vista (new Air India logo icon), paired with a comfortable blouse and blazer, Air India said. "My ai

SpiceJet board okays Rs 2,250 crore fundraising from 64 investors

Airline slips back to loss in second qtr

SpiceJet-Wilmington Trust SP Services in deadlock over rental agreement

Spicejet said that as per the repayment schedule of arrears they received, the total amount due from February to December alone was $1,560,011

Scindia discusses airfares, ways to improve airlines' on-time performance

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday reviewed the self-monitoring mechanism for airfares put in place by individual airlines and emphasised keeping fares in check on select routes. During an advisory group meeting, there were discussions on airlines' on-time performance (OTP), and the minister instructed the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to relook technical specifications at VFR-equipped (Visual Flight Rules) airports to help enhance OTP, according to an official release. Scindia held a meeting with the airline advisory group that was attended by representatives of various carriers, including Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan. In a post on social media platform X, Scindia said that he met the advisory group to discuss solutions to enhance on-time performance and "airfares on a few sectors, and in-house practices followed by each airline". Specific details about the discussion on airfares and the particular routes could not be immediately ascertained. There have been