Page 2 - Flights

Resuming direct flights with India positive move to improve ties: China

China on Thursday described the resumption of direct flights with India after a five-year hiatus as a positive step, saying it demonstrated that both countries are "faithfully acting" on the understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to strengthen bilateral ties. Speaking at a media briefing, the first since the Chinese Foreign Ministry resumed its regular schedule following the eight-day national holidays, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the flights would resume by the end of October. India had announced on October 2 that direct flights to China would resume from October 26. This is the latest move that demonstrates how the two countries are faithfully acting on the important common understanding between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin on Aug 31, Guo said in response to a question. Modi and Xi had met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and welcomed the positive ..

IndiGo to boost connectivity to UK with increased flights to Manchester

Additionally, IndiGo has recently announced the launch of direct, daily flights to London Heathrow from Mumbai, effective October 26, 2025

British Airways plans third London-Delhi flight to boost air connectivity

British Airways plans to start an additional flight connecting London and Delhi in 2026 as the airline looks to increase air connectivity between India and the UK, with the free trade agreement set to boost economic activities. The airline, which has been flying into India for more than 100 years, made the announcement on Wednesday as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is leading the 'Britain Means Business' trade mission to the country. The trip to Mumbai follows the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries in July. "The airline will introduce a third daily flight between London Heathrow and Delhi in 2026, subject to regulatory and capacity approval. "The popular First cabin will return on flights from London to Mumbai this month with the latest business class Club Suite on select flights across all five Indian routes by the end of 2026," the airline said in a release on Wednesday. Currently, British Airways operates 56 weekly flights connecting London with f

SpiceJet launches daily non-stop Diwali flights from Ayodhya to 4 cities

Flights from Mumbai are also under consideration to further enhance connectivity during the upcoming festive and winter season

India-China direct flights to resume from October 26 after 5-year freeze

IndiGo will resume nonstop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from October 26

Airline operations disrupted as Delhi NCR witnesses heavy downpour

Several airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet, posted travel advisories and weather updates on their official handles

Noida Airport to begin operations after Diwali; foreign airlines in talks

The Noida International Airport (NIA), being developed as a greenfield aviation hub in Jewar, Gautam Buddh Nagar, is on track to begin operations by the end of this year. Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu recently told reporters that the airport would be inaugurated on October 30 and flight operations begin within next 45 days with 10 routes. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also reiterated the airport's commercial flight operations to commence by 2025 end. Billed to be India's largest airport upon full development before 2050, the project -- which started in 2019 and saw COVID-19 pandemic too -- was initially scheduled to launch operations in September 2024. The airport, which is being developed in four phases, has completed key aeronautical infrastructure for Phase 1, including one runway and one passenger terminal with an annual capacity to handle 12 million passengers. Technical installations and finishing works inside the terminal are underway, wh

Air India Express to launch direct Bengaluru-Bangkok flights from Oct 18

The airline already connects Bangkok with Lucknow, Pune, and Surat, and operates direct flights between Hyderabad and Phuket

AI Express Delhi-Indore flight lands safely after mid-air engine fault

A Delhi-Indore Air India Express flight having 161 passengers on board on Friday suffered a mid-air engine fault, with the pilot making a 'PAN-PAN' call to indicate non-life-threatening emergency, but the aircraft landed safely at the airport here with a delay of 20 minutes, an official said. The aircraft landed at the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore and everyone on board was safe, he said. "After receiving information about a technical fault in one of the engines of the Air India Express plane coming from Delhi to Indore, we took all precautions and the aircraft landed at Indore airport at 9.55 am. As per the schedule, it was supposed to land at the Indore airport at 9.35 am," Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport Director Vipinkant Seth told PTI. The crew of this plane with flight number IX 1028 and all 161 passengers on board are completely safe, he said. Seth said that the pilot of the plane sent a 'PAN-PAN' signal to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) after which fire and medical .

IATA proposes raising age limit for commercial pilots to 67 years globally

Global airlines' grouping IATA has proposed increasing the upper age limit to 67 years for pilots who are operating multi-pilot commercial flights. Amid a shortage of available pilots compared to the rising demand spurred by aviation sector growth, the proposal has been made by IATA to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents around 350 airlines worldwide, including Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet. In a working paper titled 'Proposal to Raise the Multi-Pilot Commercial Air Transport Pilot Age Limit to 67 years', IATA said the growth of the aviation industry worldwide is causing the demand for pilots to outstrip supply. "Raising CAT (Commercial Air Transport) pilot age limits to allow more pilots to continue to work is aligned with 15 of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the initiative of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Programme to ensure a suffici

Flight operations to Leh affected due to bad weather: Delhi Airport

Due to bad conditions in Leh, flight operations to the destination have been affected, said Delhi Airport said in the passenger advisory

InterGlobe-CAE to open new pilot training centre in Mumbai by 2026

A joint venture of InterGlobe Enterprises and Canadian flight simulation firm CAE on Tuesday announced plans to set up a pilot training centre in the financial capital as it looks to cash in on the boom in the domestic aviation sector and to cater to the increasing demand for cockpit crew in the country. The new facility centre, to be spread over a 44,000 square-foot area, will have a capacity for up to six full-flight simulators (FFS). It will begin operations in the first quarter of CY 2026 with two Airbus A320 FFS, CAE Simulation Training Pvt Ltd (CSTPL) said. The JV already operates three commercial aviation training centres, one each in Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bengaluru, with a capacity of up to 23 FFS. The new facility will also offer comprehensive pilot training programmes on Airbus, ATR and Boeing aircraft, including type rating, recurrent training, and proficiency checks. CAE's 2025 Aviation Talent Forecast predicts a demand of 98,000 for new pilots in the Asia Pacific

India, China agree to resume direct flights, boost trade, investment

The two countries would resume direct flights and boost trade and investment, including reopening border trade at three designated points, and facilitate in visas

Air India Express flight aborts first landing at Gwalior, lands safely

An Air India Express flight from Bengaluru with 160 passengers on board failed to land at the Gwalior airport in the first attempt on Saturday afternoon but landed safely in the second attempt, an official said. The airline said the flight "conducted a go-around followed by a safe and uneventful landing". The aircraft later took off for Bengaluru and reached there safely, Gwalior airport director A K Goswami told PTI. The failure to land in the first attempt caused panic among the passengers for a brief while, he said. "Technical staff examined the aircraft after landing and found no fault," he added. Goswami also said that a failure to land in the first attempt is a normal occurrence. Some passengers lodged complaints with the airport and airline officials after deboarding, another official said. An Air India Express spokesperson said in a statement that "one of our aircraft conducted a go-around followed by a safe and uneventful landing at Gwalior". "Crew are trained to carry

IndiGo aircraft suffers tail strike amid go-around at Mumbai Airport

The airline assured that all passengers and crew on board were safe

Delhi airport to bar non-scheduled flights during select hours on Aug 15

Non-scheduled flights will not be permitted to land at or take off from the Delhi airport during specified hours on August 15. An official on Wednesday said the restrictions will be in place from 6 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm on Independence Day. The curbs will be applicable for non-scheduled flights of scheduled airlines as well as chartered flights. There will be no impact on scheduled flight operations, the official added. A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has been issued by the Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) that comes under the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Generally, NOTAM is a notice containing information that is essential for personnel involved in flight operations. While no landing or take-off will be permitted for non-scheduled flights during the specified periods, there will be no impact of the NOTAM on scheduled flights as well as the aircraft operated by IAF, BSF and Army aviation helicopters. Also, state-owned aircraft and helicopters flying the Gover

6 in 10 flyers report baggage weight errors on airline scales: Survey

At least 8 per cent of respondents said they faced such discrepancies over 10 times in three years, while 21 per cent reported it 6-10 times

48 passengers added to India's no-fly list this year till July: Govt

As many as 48 air passengers were placed on the 'no-fly list' this year till July 30, according to the government. Unruly passengers can face flying ban for extended periods depending on the severity of their misconduct. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol has informed the Rajya Sabha that 48 people have been placed on the 'no-fly list' till July 30 this year. A total of 82 and 110 passengers were placed on the list in 2024 and 2023, respectively. As per the data shared by the minister as part of a written reply on Monday, a total of 63 people were placed on the 'no-fly list' in 2022, 66 in 2021 and 10 in 2020. Under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on 'Handling of unruly/ disruptive passengers' issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), unruly passengers are categorised into three levels based on the severity of their misconduct onboard an aircraft. "The duration of ban for Level 1 misconduct is up to 3 months, for Level 2 is up to 6 months

The real reason flights make your ears pop: Doctor explains how to stop it

Ever wonder why your ears feel weird on planes? A doctor breaks it down, and shares quick fixes that actually work

First Australian-made rocket crashes 14 seconds after lift-off attempt

The first Australian-made rocket to attempt to reach orbit from the country's soil crashed after 14 seconds of flight on Wednesday. The rocket Eris, launched by Gilmour Space Technologies, was the first Australian-designed and manufactured orbital launch vehicle to lift off from the country and was designed to carry small satellites to orbit. It launched Wednesday morning local time in a test flight from a spaceport near the small town of Bowen in the north of Queensland state. In videos published by Australian news outlets, the 23-meter (75-foot) rocket appeared to clear the launch tower and hovered in the air before falling out of sight. Plumes of smoke were seen rising above the site. No injuries were reported. The company hailed the launch as a success in a statement posted to Facebook. A spokesperson said all four hybrid-propelled engines ignited and the maiden flight included 23 seconds of engine burn time and 14 seconds of flight. Gilmour Space Technologies had planned prev