Page 12 - Flights

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Flight operations impacted at Delhi airport due to heavy rain, bad weather

The sudden change in weather is expected to bring respite from the hot weather conditions prevailing over North India

Covid-19 pandemic thruster off, demand for chartered flight declines

Operators hopeful of business travel driving demand

Uber launches flight bookings in UK, plans to double down on growth

The introduction of commercial flight bookings is "the latest and most ambitious step" in Uber's strategy, said its UK general manager Andrew Brem

US says it will allow more flights by Chinese airlines to match number

The Biden administration will let Chinese airlines add more flights to the U.S. to match the number of flights that China allows U.S. airlines to fly between the two nations. The Transportation Department said it will let Chinese airlines increase from eight to 12 U.S.-China round trips per week. That is still a fraction of the flights that were allowed between the two countries before the pandemic. The Transportation Department said in a filing Wednesday that it was acting in response to China's announcement in late December that it would lift certain restrictions on international passenger flights. China's move allowed American Airlines to add two weekly flights in March between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Shanghai, raising the combined total of round trips between the countries by U.S. carriers to 12 per week. China announced in March that after a three-year hiatus it was reopening its borders to revive tourism and boost its economy. China also relaxed visa rules

IndiGo to begin flights to Singapore, Bangkok from Bhubaneswar next month

Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Wednesday announced it will commence flight services to Singapore and Bangkok from Bhubaneswar from June 3. These additional international routes will not only improve connectivity but also enhance accessibility for passengers flying to and from Bhubaneswar, IndiGo said in a statement. The Gurugram-based airline has already announced its plans to connect Bhubaneswar with Dubai from May 15. "These new connections to Bangkok and Singapore from Bhubaneswar will not only reduce travel time but also enhance global connectivity from the state," said Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha. The enhanced accessibility, Patnaik added, will increase trade and tourism, benefit the people of the state and help the government realise its goal of new Odisha. These new flights to Singapore and Bangkok will encourage tourism and trade in the city and the entire state, said Vinay Malhotra, Head Global Sales, IndiGo.

Lufthansa to start flights on Munich-Bangalore, Frankfurt-Hyderabad routes

To tap the post-Covid growth opportunities in the Indian aviation market, European airline major Lufthansa on Thursday said it will start flights on Munich-Bangalore and Frankfurt-Hyderabad routes this year. Lufthansa Group, which has been present in the Indian market for more than 90 years, currently has more than 50 weekly services to India, connecting Frankfurt, Zurich and Munich with various Indian cities, including Delhi and Mumbai. The Indian market is "very very important" for the Lufthansa Group, Harry Hohmeister, Member of the Executive Board Global Markets & Network, said here on Thursday. The flights on the Munich-Bangalore route will be operational three times a week and the first flight will be on November 3. On the Frankfurt-Hyderabad route, the flights will commence in the coming winter. "The expansion underlines Lufthansa's long-term vision to strengthen its footprint in the Indian market by catering to the growing population of young working professionals," it ...

Lack of planes, customers willing to pay more to keep flying expensive

As many as 16,000 aircraft - about two-thirds of the world's commercial fleet - was grounded at the height of the pandemic

China's uncertain reopening prompts Malaysia Air to target Indian market

Malaysia Airlines will operate 60 flights a week to South Asia this year, compared with just 27 services to China

Soaring variety in in-flight meals is giving a lift to ready-to-eat brands

Poha to biryani, instant food firms have a full plate as airlines focus on in-flight experience

Two held for unruly behaviour after drinking on board Dubai-Mumbai flight

Two passengers on board a Dubai-Mumbai IndiGo flight were arrested for allegedly hurling abuses at crew and co-passengers in an inebriated condition, a police official said on Thursday. They were placed under arrest after the flight landed in Mumbai on Wednesday and were granted bail by a court here, the official said. "The two accused are from Nalasopara in Palghar and Kolhapur. They were returning after working for a year in the Gulf and started celebrating by consuming liquor they had brought from a duty-free shop," he said. "When co-flyers objected to the ruckus, the two abused them as well as the crew that intervened. One of them was drinking while walking down the aisle. The crew took away their bottles," the official added. They have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 336 (for endangering life and safety of others) and 21,22 and 25 of Aircraft Rules, the Sahar police station official said. As per officials, this is the seventh incident this year when a case has be

Air India to temporarily reduce frequency of flights on some US routes: CEO

Air India will reduce the frequency of flights on certain US routes due to crew shortage issues for a temporary period, its chief Campbell Wilson said on Monday. He also said the airline will have 100 pilots for Boeing 777 planes in three months as they are being "activated" and around 1,400 cabin crew are in training. In recent months, there have been instances of some long haul flights getting impacted due to crew shortage issues. Wilson, who is the CEO and MD, said frequencies will be reduced on some US routes due to crew shortage issues. The airline has a staff strength of around 11,000 people, including flying and non-flying employees. "There is a lot happening," he said, adding that the airline is shrinking and growing now. He was speaking at the CAPA India Summit in the national capital. Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India along with Air India Express and 50 per cent stake in AIATSL in January 2022. Air India has put in place a road map under Vihaan.AI for .

Air India's 3 international flights affected due to tech issues in 2 days

At least three international flights of Air India have been affected in two days due to technical issues, according to sources. The flights from Chicago and Vancouver were cancelled on Tuesday as the aircraft was grounded on account of technical issues. Both flights were to be operated with Boeing 777 aircraft, the sources said. Meanwhile, the sources also said that an aircraft has been grounded in Paris on Wednesday. The plane was to operate the flight from Paris to Delhi. When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said that flight AI 126 had to be cancelled due to technical reasons on March 14. "The affected passengers were offered all-around support and every effort is being made to accommodate them on alternate flights. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers," the spokesperson said in a statement. Details about the number of passengers who were booked in the three flights could not be immediately ascertained.

India agrees to Russia operating more flights connecting 2 countries

India and Russia have "in principle" agreed to revise their bilateral air services agreement whereby Russian carriers will be allowed to operate as many as 64 weekly flights to various Indian cities, according to a senior official. Under the existing agreement, Russia can operate up to 52 weekly civilian flights to India. India has "in principle" agreed to increase the number of weekly flights that Russian carriers can operate to India to 64 from 52. In this regard, the bilateral air services agreement will be amended in due course, the official told PTI. Currently, Aeroflot is operating seven weekly flights to India while no Indian airline is flying to Russia. Earlier, Air India used to operate flights to Moscow. On the condition of anonymity, the official also said it will take some time before Russian carriers will be able to fully utilise the quota of the total number of weekly flights permitted to operate to India. Last month, an Indian delegation led by Civil Aviation Secret

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IndiGo plans flights to Nairobi, Jakarta, central Asian destinations: CEO

The country's largest airline IndiGo, which is "back with a bang", is looking to start flights to Nairobi, Jakarta and some central Asian destinations as the carrier focuses on internationalisation, according to its chief Pieter Elbers. Amid intensifying competition and Air India set for expansion with massive plane orders, the IndiGo chief asserted that there is a lot of growth ahead in the Indian market that "justifies multiple airlines". "There is a lot going on in the Indian aviation landscape... The fact that Indian aviation is getting into the next stage, including the consolidation being done under the Air India group, is a natural evolution of the market. "I look to the competition. It is good to have competition but it will be a competition that is going hand-in-hand with the growth of the market," Elbers told PTI in an interview here. IndiGo, which has more than 300 planes in its fleet, currently operates to 76 domestic and 26 international destinations. Flights to two mo

Crew shortage impacts operations of some Air India flights to US, Canada

Crew shortage is impacting the operations of Air India, with some flights to the US and Canada either getting cancelled or facing inordinate delays, according to a source. Tata group-owned Air India, which is the only air operator flying on ultra-long haul routes, had faced problems last year also due to the shortage of crew members. An ultra-long haul flight's duration is more than 16 hours. "There is an acute shortage of manpower, which is impacting airline's operations particularly to the US and Canada," the source in the know told PTI. In the last 5-6 days, the airline has cancelled three flights to San Francisco in the US and one flight to Vancouver in Canada. Also, some of the flights on these routes are facing a delay of 10-12 hours, the source said on the condition of anonymity. There was no immediate response to queries sent to Air India. In the last two months, Air India has inducted two leased wide-body Boeing 777 planes as part of its fleet augmentation plans. The ai

Air India, AirAsia to tweak 'flight path' to avoid internal competition

Under this "streamlining" plan, Air India is likely to completely exit from five routes and AirAsia India might stop operating services on four other routes, sources said

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

Bad weather disrupts operation of S Korean airport again after 3 days

According to the Jeju branch of the Korea Airports Corp., 50 flights to and from the airport -- 18 departures and 32 arrivals -- had been cancelled, while nine other flights were delayed