Air India's 'Fare lock' feature allows passengers to secure a fare for two days by paying a nominal fee, allowing them to confirm their travel plans
Despite infrastructure limitations, India is currently the world's fastest-growing aviation market with demand surpassing the supply of jets
Drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace Pvt Ltd has inaugurated its first exclusive drone showroom in the city as it plans to sell 50,000 agricultural and consumer drones in the next few years. The city-based company, backed by cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has served over 750 clients across the country. In a statement on Tuesday, the company said it has received the Directorate General of Civil Aviation approval for manufacturing of small and medium drones. "We pride ourselves on the impactful intelligence our drone solutions have to offer. We have 750 + satisfied clients all around India with 350 finished projects and 50 designed works. Our team includes 200 plus employees, with a group of advisory board members, expertise heads for various departments, and well-versed pilots," company CEO Agnishwar Jayaprakash said in the statement. "Garuda Aerospace has sold 2,500 drones so far, out of which 2,000 are agri drones. We plan to sell 25,000 agri-drones in the next two years and
Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday issued a show cause notice to Air India for inordinate delay of at least two international flights and failure to take due care of passengers. The regulator mentioned about the inordinate delay of two international flights -- AI 183 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 30 and AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco on May 24. Both flights were delayed and passengers were put to discomfort due to insufficient cooling in the cabin. Further, repeated incidents of passengers being put to discomfort by Air India in violation of DGCA norms have come to the notice of the regulator, as per the show cause notice. The regulator also noted that Air India is "time and again failing in taking due care of passengers", and not complying with its provisions related to 'facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights". "Air India is hereby called upon to show cause as to why enforcement action shall
Passengers of a San Francisco-bound Air India flight from the city had a tough time on Friday as they had to wait inside the aircraft for more than five hours. The flight was later rescheduled for Saturday. An airline official said the Boeing 777 plane, which was scheduled to take off at 1600 hours, was first delayed due to a technical glitch, then some passengers deboarded and subsequently, another passenger fell ill. After deboarding the passenger who started feeling unwell at around 1917 hours, it was noticed that by the time the flight AI 179 would have reached San Francisco, there would be night-landing restrictions and also, the crew would have crossed the flight-duty limitations. The official said the flight has been rescheduled for Saturday and would take off at 1030 hours. The number of passengers onboard the aircraft could not be immediately ascertained. According to the official, AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco, scheduled to depart at 1600 hours, was delayed due to
Qantas, the national carrier of Australia, on Tuesday announced that it is adding flights from Bengaluru to Sydney to cater to the strong demand over the peak holiday season. Between mid-December 2024 and late March 2025, the airline will increase flights from five a week to daily, adding over 12,000 seats between the two cities over the four-month period, Qantas said in a statement. The flights add to Qantas' existing services from Delhi to Melbourne, which operate three days a week. Qantas' flights from India are operated with its fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft with 27 Business Class suites in 1- 2-1 configuration, with each suite featuring direct aisle access and converting into a lie-flat bed. All Qantas international fares include checked baggage allowance, food and beverages and in-flight entertainment as standard with every booking. Qantas recently announced it would accelerate a programme to introduce fast and free' Wi-Fi across its existing fleet of international aircraft,
NCLT indicated that it needed more time to study the Delhi High Court's order that told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to deregister all its 54 aircraft by May 3, 2024
The regional labour commissioner will seek inputs from aviation regulator DGCA in the ongoing conciliation process with respect to the dispute between Air India Express management and a section of the cabin crew members, according to a source. Tata Group-owned profit-making Air India Express is in the process of merging loss-making AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself. Meanwhile, Air India Express has cancelled over 90 flights since Tuesday night as a section of cabin crew members reported sick to protest against alleged mismanagement at the airline, which said it is working hard to minimise the disruptions. A union representing a section of the Air India Express cabin crew had filed a complaint before the labour department last year. The union had raised various concerns at the airline, including about room sharing during layovers. The matter is now under the conciliation process as per the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947. The source on Wednesday told PTI that the ...
The Delhi High Court, on April 26, directed the DGCA to deregister planes leased to Go First within five working days, providing much-needed relief to the lessors
Sources said that the issue arose when 12 Vistara pilots, trained on A320 family planes, were undergoing conversion training for B787 aircraft
Go First's resolution professional did not immediately respond to a Reuters' email seeking comment
The new DGCA guidelines require airlines to offer these services as "opt-in" options. This means the base fare will not automatically include these charges, and passengers can choose to add them on on
The Delhi High Court instructed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to proceed with deregistering and surrendering all 54 aircraft to the lessors
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
The DGCA has made it mandatory for airlines to assign seats for children up to 12 years old when at least one parent or guardian is traveling on the same PNR
Air India has operationalised five new contact centres, including in Cairo and Kuala Lumpur, to provide assistance to its customers worldwide. The Tata Group-owned airline has partnered with Concentrix, a California-headquartered customer engagement firm, to manage premium services from centres in Mumbai, Cairo, and Kuala Lumpur. Besides, the carrier has signed up iEnergizer to operate contact centres in Noida and Bengaluru, focusing on domestic inquiries, a release said on Friday. Recently, Air India introduced a premium desk for its premium frequent flyer members as well as business and first-class guests. In the release, the airline said it has implemented a comprehensive back-office insourcing strategy to manage emails, social media, and chat support internally to assist the customers. "A 24/7 grievance management desk promptly addresses all customer queries, escalations and provides round-the-clock support," it added.
'Challenging start to new financial year', says Vinod Kannan after airline had to cancel 150 flights between March 31 and April 4
FDTL norms are crucial as they guarantee sufficient rest for pilots, minimising the risk of untoward incidents
The cancellations and delays forced India's civil aviation ministry to intervene and monitor the situation, while the aviation regulator has sought daily information on flight disruptions
Airline asked to comply with regulations on assisting passengers affected due to cancellations or delays