India Aviation

West Asia conflict: Indian carriers cut 25% weekly int'l flights in May

Several foreign carriers have expanded operations to India

Air India board to meet May 7; cost-saving steps, CEO selection on agenda

As headwinds persist for the loss-making Air India, its board is expected to discuss cost-saving plans, selection of the next CEO, financials, and other issues during the meeting scheduled for May 7, according to sources. Headwinds for the Air India Group, which is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026, have multiplied with the West Asia conflict. In the midst of an ambitious transformation plan, the Tata Group-owned airline is also scouting for a new CEO as incumbent and Singapore Airlines Group veteran Campbell Wilson will be stepping down later this year. The sources said the board, chaired by Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, will meet in Mumbai on May 7. Various cost-saving measures, CEO succession plans, financials for 2025-26 fiscal year as well as other issues are expected to be discussed during the meeting, the sources said. Tata Sons and Air India did not offer comments. As part of stringent measures to save

CBI arrests senior DGCA official, corporate group VP in bribery case

The CBI has arrested a deputy director general of civil aviation and the senior vice president of a major corporate group in a Rs 2.5 lakh bribery case to facilitate the import of drones for another private company, officials said Sunday. In an operation on Saturday, the CBI arrested M Devula, Deputy Director General at the Airworthiness Directorate, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bharat Mathur, who is also associated with an aerospace company involved in drone technology- Asteria Aerospace Ltd. The CBI has booked Mathur, Devula and Asteria Aerospace Ltd under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The major corporate group where Mathur was working is not listed as accused in the FIR and is the "ultimate parent company" of Asteria Aerospace, according to Asteria Aerospace's financial statements for 2024-25. No immediate reaction was available from Asteria Aerospace or the corporate group. The accused DGCA public

Aviation in a tailspin again as it recovers from last year's shocks

Disruptions from Iran war have sharpened underlying challenges in a sector that is still recovering from last year's shocks

Aloke Singh to step down as Air India Express MD after five-year tenure

Air India Express MD Aloke Singh will exit on 19 March after steering the airline through privatisation, a merger with AirAsia India, a four-fold fleet expansion and a major brand overhaul

IndiGo flight diverted to Imphal following dust storm at Dibrugarh airport

An IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad with 144 passengers on board was diverted to Imphal on Sunday after a severe dust storm rendered visibility at Dibrugarh airport "dangerously low", officials said. The sudden weather shift forced the flight crew to make a swift decision to re-route the aircraft from Dibrugarh to the nearest viable alternative in Manipur, they said. Flight 6E-6457, operating from Ahmedabad to Dibrugarh via Guwahati, departed from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati at 10.20 am, an airport official told PTI. "While it was scheduled to touch down at Dibrugarh airport at 11.15 am, the arrival coincided with a heavy dust storm that significantly hampered operations. Conditions on the ground fell well below the minimum safety thresholds required for a safe landing, and the visibility was dangerously low," he said. With the situation leaving no room for risk, the flight crew opted to divert the carrier to Bir Tikendrajit International .

DGCA launches safety audit of 14 charter operators; inspections under way

DGCA has launched a special safety audit of 14 charter operators, with field inspections underway and the first phase of the exercise expected to be completed by February 25

India, China, southeast Asia set to dominate air travel growth, report says

Asia is emerging as the engine of global aviation growth, with India, China and Southeast Asia forecast to account for eight of the world's 10 fastest-growing air travel markets between 2024 and 2044, according to a whitepaper released on Monday, ahead of the 2026 Singapore Airshow. The paper by Alton Aviation Consultancy outlines that international traffic in Asia-Pacific grew by 8.0 per cent in 2025, outpacing global RPK growth of 6.8 per cent. Carriers across the region have launched more than 600 new routes since 2015, significantly improving access to underserved destinations and enhancing intra-regional connectivity. The whitepaper highlights India as one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, underpinned by robust economic fundamentals and a rapidly expanding middle class. While China continues to play a dominant role, Alton notes that Southeast Asia is an emerging growth region, led by markets such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Mabel Kwan, Managing .

IndiGo, Air India likely to remain dominant in Indian skies till 2030

With IndiGo and Air India ramping up fleet additions, India's skies are set to remain a duopoly till 2030, with the top two airlines controlling nearly 85% of aircraft capacity

Govt seeks airfare data as CCI probes IndiGo over December flight chaos

The government has asked airlines to share average fares charged during December after mass flight cancellations, mainly by IndiGo, disrupted travel and triggered a CCI probe into fare patterns

The problem with Indian skies: New airlines won't fix competition easily

The aviation ministry has cleared three new regional airlines in a bid to spur competition. This won't be easy

'Need to have 5 big airlines': Civil Aviation Minister amid IndiGo crisis

Ram Mohan Naidu said India needs to have five big airlines given the demand, and that has been the effort from the ministry to encourage more airlines to join the industry

India, China drive Asia-Pacific need for nearly 20,000 new planes: Airbus

Asia-Pacific will need nearly 20,000 new planes in the next 20 years, with India and China driving most of the demand as passenger traffic grows and airlines expand their fleets

Akasa Air plans to launch IPO within 2-5 years, says CEO Vinay Dube

Dube said, "There is no next phase we are planning. Our next phase should be an IPO in a two to five-year time period."

A-I 171 crash probe agency denies pilots' body request for representation

Pilots' grouping ALPA India on Friday said AAIB has declined the request to include its representative in the team probing the Air India plane crash in June that killed 260 people, citing government norms. Representatives of the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) India on Friday held a meeting with Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Director General GVG Yugandhar in the national capital. The discussion mainly revolved around having subject experts in aircraft accident investigations. After the meeting, ALPA India President Sam Thomas said there was not much discussion on the Air India plane crash due to the ongoing investigation. "AAIB expressed its inability to include pilots from ALPA as subject matter experts in the team probing the Air India plane crash, citing government norms," he told PTI. In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI 171 to London

Greenfield airports to give India global aviation edge: Noida airport CEO

At the BS Infrastructure Summit, Noida airport CEO Christoph Schnellmann said greenfield airports give India an edge as they use modern tech and focus on faster, smoother passenger transfers

Air India plane's auxiliary power unit catches fire after landing at Delhi

The Air India flight AI315 was operating from Hong Kong to Delhi; all passengers and crew are safe, while the aircraft has been grounded for investigation, the airline said

Air India Delhi-Kolkata flight aborts take-off run due to technical glitch

The airline confirmed that all passengers onboard the flight were safely disembarked following the incident

On the runway: GMR's ₹14,000 crore capex plan for Hyderabad airport

Given the nearly three-year construction timeline for a new terminal and runway, work on the northern side is proposed to begin by FY27 to ensure readiness by September 2029

IndiGo, SpiceJet shares tumble on dual blow: Oil surge, Air India crash

Aviation stocks fall: InterGlobe Aviation shares fell as much as 5.62 per cent, while the counter of Spice Jet slipped 5.64 per cent on BSE