Page 14 - Flights

Experts for stricter punishment to tackle unruly behaviour on flights

Air India's handling of an incident in which an inebriated male flier allegedly urinated on a woman co-passenger suggests an urgent need for stricter rules to deal with unruly passengers, according to legal and aviation experts. Instances of inappropriate conduct on flights have gone up in the recent past because airlines try to cover up such incidents due to their commercial interests, the experts said. According to police, the male passenger, Shankar Mishra, allegedly urinated on a woman co-passenger in her 70s in the business class of the Air India flight from New York to Delhi on November 26 last year. Delhi Police registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India and arrested him from Bengaluru on Saturday. To prevent such incidents in future, the experts said, the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) of 2017 for handling of unruly passengers should be amended. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) framed the rules in 2017 after

Flights on busiest domestic routes up but still lag pre-Covid peak

Among the top 10, Delhi-Srinagar was the only route that has crossed its pre-Covid peak

Ethiopian Airlines to resume flights to rebel-held Tigray capital

With planned daily flights to Mekele, the airline said it will increase the daily frequency depending on the demand on the route

Weather disruption forces IndiGo passengers to wait eight hours in Delhi

Delay causes some to miss connecting flights; DIAL sources said zero cancellations or diversions from airport on Tuesday

Severe turbulence on Houston-bound United Airlines flight injures 5

Severe turbulence on a Houston-bound United Airlines flight injured five people who had to be hospitalised, authorities said

11 people sustain serious injuries amid turbulence on Hawaii flight

Nearly a dozen people were seriously injured when a flight to Hawaii was rocked by severe turbulence on Sunday about 30 minutes outside Honolulu, an emergency response agency said. Eleven people were hospitalized in serious condition and nine others were in stable condition, the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said in a statement. It said a call came in shortly after 11 a.m. about the injuries on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix. Responders treated 36 people and of those, 20 people were transported for further medical treatment. The statement said the wounds included a serious head injury, lacerations, bruising and loss of consciousness. Passenger Kaylee Reyes told Hawaii News Now that her mother had just sat down when the turbulence hit, and did not have a chance to buckle her safety belt. She flew up and hit the ceiling, Reyes said. Hawaiian Airlines in a statement said 13 passengers and three crew members were taken to area hospitals for further care. The airline sai

Elon Musk cries foul over flight data that's readily available on the net

People who for security or privacy reasons don't want their location known can opt for FAA to screen their aircraft's identity

India, Sri Lanka resume flight service between Chennai and Jaffna

India and Sri Lanka on Monday resumed flight services between Chennai and Jaffna, three years after the island nation discontinued the services due to the Covid pandemic. The first flight on resumption of services landed this morning at the Jaffna International Airport, Upul Dharmadasa the Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services told reporters. Jaffna airport officials said the Alliance Air service landed at Jaffna at 1125 am local time. A small ceremony was conducted to welcome the flight which had 14 selected passengers, mostly officials, on board. The return to Chennai was scheduled for 2.50 pm local time. The Alliance Air flights would operate four times a week between the two cities. The airport in Palaly was named the Jaffna International Airport as Sri Lanka's third international airport in October 2019 and had its first flight from Chennai. The airport in Palaly was named the Jaffna international airport as Sri Lanka's third international airport in October 2019 an

Delhi airport says peak-hour flights reduced at T3 to ease congestion

Country's busiest airport, which has already brought the number down from 22 an hour to 19, may shift more flights to other terminals

'Delhi-Rome direct flight to boost connectivity between India, Italy'

'We're increasing exports and imports between the two countries. Direct flight (between Italy and Delhi) will boost movement and relations between two countries'

IndiGo, SpiceJet international flights diverted due to technical glitches

Failure in one of IndiGo aircraft's hydraulic systems, caution light indication in SpiceJet plane's cockpit cause diversion

Air India group most frequent flyer on 7 of 10 busiest domestic routes

Also runs IndiGo close on the other three

Flights start from Itanagar airport; Scindia says boosting NE connectivity

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday flagged off IndiGo's flight from Itanagar to Mumbai via Kolkata and said efforts are on to enhance air connectivity in the North East. This is the first flight from Donyi Polo Airport at Hollongi, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. Scindia virtually flagged off the flight from New Delhi. The flight operated from Itanagar to Mumbai via Kolkata. Itanagar is the 75th domestic and 101st overall destination in the IndiGo network. In a statement, IndiGo said the second frequency between Kolkata and Itanagar will commence on December 3. Among others, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju attended the event virtually. "We are pleased to commence operations from Itanagar which will be our 10th destination in the northeast... over the last few years IndiGo has focused on increasing accessibility in the northeast and now connects seven out of eight states in the region," IndiGo's Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer Sanjay Kumar said. Meanwhile, Scindia

5G signals won't interfere with flight operations, telcos reiterate

Senior industry executives say no recent discussions with government on issue of 5G signals interfering with aviation instruments, companies remain open to talks

Sabarimala pilgrims can carry coconuts in flights as cabin baggage: BCAS

Pilgrims going to Sabarimala temple in Kerala can carry coconuts in cabin baggage in flights, with aviation security regulator BCAS relaxing the norms for a limited period. A senior official of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) said the permission has been given for the ongoing Sabarimala season that is to end in late January. Lakhs of devotees visit the hill shrine every year and majority of them carry 'Irumudi Kettu' (the sacred bag containing offerings, including coconut filled with ghee, to the Lord). Coconuts meant for offering as part of Sabarimala pilgrimage have been allowed to be carried in cabin baggage for a limited period of time, the official told PTI on Tuesday. The official also said that additional security measures and checks have been put in place in this regard. Under current norms, coconuts are not permitted in cabin baggage on the grounds that they are flammable. "... Coconuts, in the view of inconvenience to the pilgrims to Shri Sabarimala shall b

0 in '14 to 48 now: Demand rises for non-stop flights between India, Canada

There were no non-stop flights between the two countries in 2014. This has risen to 48 in 2022

Calicut-bound Air India flight returns to Mumbai due to technical glitch

Air India flight AI 581 was carrying more than 110 passengers, according to an official

69% Go First flights delayed on average in past three days; DGCA to probe

Airline forced to raise utilisation of its operational planes; delay as high as 82% on Saturday

2 in 3 travellers want pre-pandemic govt fare caps back as air-fares soar

A recent survey by LocalCircles reveals that soaring airfares have worried travellers and two out of three fliers want the government to bring back an upper and lower limit on air-fares

After 3-yr lull, IndiGo to resume flights to China, Myanmar from March 2023

IndiGo used to operate daily flights on Delhi-Chengdu, Kolkata-Guangzhou, Kolkata-Yangon routes till early 2020