Page 10 - Flights

G20: Air India, Vistara announce waivers for ticket holders from 7-11 Sept

A spokesperson for Delhi airport said it has also formed a team of senior officials who will monitor G20 arrival and departure operations to ensure the best experience for the arriving delegates

Air India offers one-time ticket waiver for those travelling during G20

The Delhi government on Tuesday issued a gazette notification on traffic restrictions imposed across the national capital in view of the upcoming G20 summit

Bargain flight prices disappear as airline industry transforms into duopoly

The higher prices come at a time when two domestic carriers - IndiGo and Air India Ltd. - are set to control the bulk of one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets

Disruption in UK air traffic control caused by 'incorrect' flight data

The UK's air traffic control chief has said that "incorrect" flight data was the cause of the massive disruption that affected thousands of passengers stuck in planes and at airports as hundreds of flights to and from the country were cancelled, with knock-on effects continuing on Wednesday. Martin Rolfe, the chief executive of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) which had faced the technical issue that triggered the chaos on Monday, said an initial investigation had found the failure was caused by flight data which its system could not interpret. He also reiterated the government's previous statement that it was not caused by a cyber-attack. Initial investigations into the problem show it relates to some of the flight data we received, said Rolfe. Our systems, both primary and the back-ups, responded by suspending automatic processing to ensure that no incorrect safety-related information could be presented to an air traffic controller or impact the rest of the air traffic system

Technical issue with UK's air traffic control to cause chaos for days

The UK government on Tuesday said that though the air traffic control technical issue that led to the severe disruption of hundreds of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded has been resolved, routes will continue to be affected as airlines scramble to recover from the domino effect on their schedules. However, Transport Secretary Mark Harper stressed that the air traffic control outage behind the chaos on Monday was not caused by a cybersecurity incident. UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper said that while the technical issue has been resolved, flights will continue to be affected as airlines scramble to recover from the domino effect on their schedules and accommodate stranded passengers on alternate flights. As the spectre of a hacking attempt was raised across social media, the minister also dismissed that as a factor behind one of the worst air system failures seen in the country in at least a decade. "Something on this scale hasn't happened for almost a decade ...

North Goa airport announces direct Indigo flight services to Abu Dhabi

The Manohar International Airport in North Goa on Monday announced a direct Indigo flight service to Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) thrice a week, starting September 2. A senior official of the airport operator GMR Goa International Airport Limited (GGIAL) said that the inaugural Indigo flight to Abu Dhabi from Manohar International Airport is scheduled for Saturday, September 02, 2023 at 00:25 am. The flight will reach Abu Dhabi International Airport at 02:15 am. "The return Indigo flight from AUH will take off at 03:15 AM and touch down at GOX (Manohar International Airport) at 08:10 AM. This remarkable service is set to operate three times a week, on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday," he added. GGIAL CEO R V Sheshan said the connection to Abu Dhabi has been introduced as it is a "prominent destination in our ever-expanding international network".

Technical issue hitting flights on busy travel day: UK air traffic control

Britain's air traffic control system said it is experiencing a technical issue that could delay flights on Monday, the end of a holiday weekend and a busy day for air traffic travel. The National Air Traffic Service said it had applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. Engineers are working to find and the fix the fault. Scottish airline Loganair said there has been a network-wide failure of UK air traffic control computer systems. Although we are hopeful of being able to operate most intra-Scotland flights on the basis of local co-ordination and with a minimum of disruption, north-south and international flights may be subject to delays, it said.

UK air traffic curbs: Air India says no significant impact on its flights

Air India on Monday said there is no significant impact on its flights to and from the UK, where a technical issue has impacted air traffic services, and that the airline is actively monitoring the situation. NATS, which provides air traffic control services in the UK, has put in place certain traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. In an update at 1515 hours GMT, NATS said it has identified and remedied the technical issue affecting its flight planning system. Air India and Vistara, both part of the Tata Group, are the only Indian carriers operating flights to the UK. While Air India flies to London, Gatwick and Birmingham, Vistara operates services to London. "There is no significant impact on our flights to and from the UK, as of now. We are actively monitoring the situation," an Air India spokesperson said. Air India operates 98 weekly flights between India and the UK. On August 28, the airline is scheduled to operate 14 flights between India and the UK. Vistara operat

North Korea to allow citizens abroad to return home as Covid curbs ease

North Korea said Sunday it will allow its citizens staying abroad to return home in line with easing pandemic situations worldwide, as the country slowly eases its draconian coronavirus restrictions. In a brief statement carried by state media, the State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters said those returning to North Korea will be put in quarantine for a week for proper medical observation. The statement didn't elaborate. But analysts predicted the announcement would lead to the return of North Korean students, workers and others who have had to stay abroad, mostly in China and Russia, because of the pandemic. The workers are a key source of foreign income for the country. North Korea banned tourists, jetted out diplomats and severely curtailed border traffic and trade after the pandemic began. The lockdown has further worsened the North's chronic economic difficulties and food insecurity. Earlier this month, South Korea's spy agency said North Korea was preparing to furth

North Korea signals reopening with first passenger flight in three years

Cargo train and ship traffic has slowly increased over the past year, but North Korea has only just begun to allow some international passenger travel

IndiGo to start flights from Delhi to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan next month

No-frills airline IndiGo on Wednesday announced the launch of its direct air services to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in Central Asia from Delhi next month, subject to regulatory approval. The four times a week air services between Delhi and Tashkent in Uzbekistan will commence from September 22, while Almaty in Kazakhstan will be connected with Delhi from September 23 with three flights per week, IndiGo said. With the launch of flight services to these two new cities, IndiGo will be operating to a total of 111 destinations, including 32 in the international markets, the airline said. The introduction of this new route aims to improve India's connectivity to Kazakhstan, Central Asia's prominent financial centre, the airline said. This direct connectivity will not only promote trade but also foster stronger economic and cultural ties between India and Uzbekistan, IndiGo said, adding, the connectivity to Kazakhstan will further foster trade and commerce, given its status as the wealthi

Akasa Air eligible for international routes, operates 900 flights per week

Akasa Air has flown 4.3 million passengers with over 900 flights per week, besides becoming eligible to fly internationally with a fleet of 20 aircraft in its first year of commercial operations, which it completed on Monday, the airline said in a statement. Owned by SNV Aviation Pvt Ltd and founded by former Jet Airways CEO, Vinay Dube along with others, Akasa Air commenced operations with its maiden flight taking off from Mumbai for Ahmedabad on August 7, 2022. In its first year of commercial operations, Akasa Air served 4.3 million passengers with a 4.9 per cent market share, and crossed the milestone of operating over 900 weekly flights with a published network of 35 unique routes across 16 destinations, the airline said in a statement on Monday. Also, the airline said, it has carried over 25,000 tonnes of cargo across its network during this time. Akasa has during the period also registered a passenger load factor of over 84 per cent since the start of operations, with a stead

Paris-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi after suspected tyre burst

Air India officials said that alternate arrangements are being made for the passengers to reach their destinations

Flights until 30 July cancelled due to 'operational reasons': Go First

In May, Go First declared insolvency due to a cash crunch and its application was admitted by the NCLT

AIX Connect gets regulatory nod to operate flights under Air India Express

Air India subsidiary AIX Connect has received regulatory approval to operate its flights under 'Air India Express' brand name. AIX Connect, earlier known as AirAsia India, is being merged with Air India Express as Tata Group is consolidating its airline business. Air India and Vistara, a joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines, are also part of the group. According to a statement on Thursday, the approval from the regulator allows both Air India Express Ltd and AIX Connect flights to be marketed, distributed and operated under a common brand name 'Air India Express', prior to the subsequent scheduled legal merger of the two entities. This development marks a significant fast-tracking of the integration efforts, including harmonisation of customer touch points, products, and services across both airlines, it added. Currently, Air India Express connects 20 domestic destinations and 14 international destinations while AIX Connect serves 19 domestic destinations. The propo

Four domestic flights diverted from Delhi airport due to 'bad weather'

Four flights were diverted from the Delhi airport in the afternoon on Tuesday due to bad weather in the national capital, according to an official. The official said three flights were diverted to Amritsar and one flight to Lucknow. All were domestic flights. Light rainfall or thundershower has been predicted for Delhi on Tuesday.

IndiGo cancels Istanbul-Mumbai flight due to tech issue in aircraft

IndiGo on Monday said it cancelled a flight from Istanbul to Mumbai on Sunday due to a technical issue in the Boeing aircraft. Since the aircraft was not available, the flight scheduled from Mumbai to Istanbul on Monday was also cancelled. A source in the know said the Boeing 777 aircraft had some fuel imbalance issue. Some passengers took to social media to complain about the flight cancellation from Istanbul to Mumbai on Sunday. Details about the number of passengers who were booked on the two flights could not be immediately ascertained. "IndiGo flight 6E 18 operating Istanbul-Mumbai-Istanbul on 2nd/3rd July was cancelled due to a technical issue. Passengers had been offered alternate options. The aircraft is back in operation after necessary maintenance," the airline said in a statement.

Go First extends cancellation of its scheduled flights till July 6

Cash-strapped Go First on Thursday announced extending the cancellation of its scheduled flights till July 6. The airline, which is undergoing insolvency resolution process, stopped flying from May 3 and since then, it has extended cancellation of flights multiple times. On Wednesday, senior representatives of the current management of Go First discussed various aspects of the revival plan with officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). "... due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled till 6th July 2023 have been cancelled," the budget carrier said in a tweet. The company has filed an application for immediate resolution and revival of operations. "We will be able to resume bookings shortly," the airline said. Sources on Wednesday said DGCA will examine documents submitted by Go First related to the revival plan and will also conduct an audit on operational preparedness before allowing the carrier to restart operations. The revival process gathered

Airline travel delays pick up early, expected to grow steadily worse

Travellers are getting hit with delays at US airports again early on Wednesday, an ominous sign heading into the long July 4 holiday weekend, which is shaping up as the biggest test yet for airlines that are struggling to keep up with surging numbers of passengers. As of early morning, more than 900 flights have been delayed in the US, according to FlightAware. Cancellations topped more than 670 flights. Cancellations and delays were most severe along the East Coast early and were growing worse rapidly. Disruptions are expected to spread West. The delays are being compounded by thunderstorms that raked the Northeast on Tuesday. At various times, the Federal Aviation Administration held up flights bound for LaGuardia Airport in New York and Reagan Washington National and Baltimore-Washington airports near the nation's capital. About 6,500 flights were delayed and about 1,900 cancelled on the East Coast on Tuesday. United Airlines, with a major hub in Newark, New Jersey, cancelled ab

India will be 'Vishwaguru' to world on monopolistic capitalism: Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday took a swipe at the government over rising airfares, saying that in free markets, when demand increases, supply will increase, but in India's free market, when demand increases, prices will increase. The Congress has been attacking the government, demanding concrete action over rising airfares. In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "Delhi-Chennai Business Class air tickets on Vistara and Air India have been set at a 'reasonable' price of Rs 6300 and Rs 5700 respectively. Oops, sorry, they are set at a 'very reasonable' Rs 63,000 and Rs 57,000 respectively." "In free markets, when demand increases, supply will increase. In India's free market, when demand increases, prices will increase," he said. Airlines will expand their routes, curtail flights on old routes and jack up prices, the former finance minister said. "India will be the Vishwaguru to the world on monopolistic capitalism," he said. In another tweet after many criticised him for qu