Page 2 - Indian Airlines

More than 50% of the Air India fleet now offers upgraded cabins

Air India aims to complete retrofitting all 27 of its A320neo aircraft by the third quarter of this year, with the first upgraded jet already back in service

How Indian airlines are losing crores after Pakistan closed its airspace

Bypassing Pakistani airspace is forcing Indian airlines to take longer routes and consume more fuel, pushing the estimated extra monthly cost beyond ₹307 crore

Indian airlines carried 14.5 mn passengers in March; 8.79% higher YoY: DGCA

Indian airlines carried 1.45 crore passengers in March, an increase of 8.79 per cent compared to the year-ago period, according to official data released on Saturday. The Indian carriers had flown a total of 1.33 crore passengers in March 2024. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during March 2025 were 145.42 lakh as against 133.68 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in its monthly domestic passenger traffic report. In the month gone by, IndiGo transported a total of 93.1 lakh passengers with a market share of 64 per cent while Air India Group (full-service carrier Air India and low-cost carrier Air India Express) flew 38.8 lakh passengers with 26.7 per cent market share. The two other major carriers - Akasa Air and SpiceJet - flew 7.2 lakh and 4.8 lakh passengers, respectively in March 2025, cornering market share of 5 per cent and 3.3 per cent. IndiGo delivered the highest on-time performance (O

Pahalgam attack: Pak airspace ban hits Indian airlines with higher costs

Air India's flights to the Middle East from New Delhi will now be forced to fly roughly an hour extra

PM Modi’s warning to Pahalgam attackers, Pak shuts airspace to Indian airlines, trade & more

Speaking at a rally in Bihar’s Madhubani today, PM Modi issued a strong response to the deadly militant attack in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam, vowing to track down and punish the terrorists.

Campbell to step down as AI Express Chairman; Nipun Aggarwal to replace him

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson will step down as the Chairman of Air India Express and Air India's Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal will assume the chairmanship of the budget airline. Wilson, who has been the Chairman of Air India Express since June 2022, will also be moving out of the budget airline's board. In an internal message to the staff on Tuesday, Wilson said he has decided that the time is right for him to step down as Chairman of the Air India Express Board. Aggarwal, who is already on the board of Air India Express, will assume the role while also continuing as Air India Chief Commercial Officer duties. This will enable greater coordination of the group's network and commercial efforts, according to the message. "Concurrently, to ensure operational synergy between the airlines, Capt Basil Kwauk, Air India Chief Operations Officer, will replace me on the Air India Express Board, once the necessary regulatory approvals are secured," the message said. According to .

Air India launches major jet revamp to lure back disgruntled passengers

The multi-year turnaround programme will initially focus on the airline's 27 Boeing Co. 787-8 Dreamliners that are more than 10 years old in some cases

DGCA directs airlines to inform passengers of rights via SMS, WhatsApp

The DGCA said airlines must share the passenger charter link via SMS or WhatsApp when a ticket is booked and display it on tickets and websites to inform passengers of their rights

IBS Software to explore more biz opportunities in India's airline industry

IBS Software, a leading SaaS solutions provider to the global travel industry, will look at more business opportunities in the airlines industry as well as the loyalty programmes segment in India, which is also a "price sensitive market", according to a top company official. Sounding optimistic about the prospects for the global travel industry, the company's Founder and Executive Chairman V K Mathews said the Indian market has huge growth potential. The Singapore-headquartered Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions provider has around 5,000 staff and has about 200 clients spread across aviation, travel and cruise, hospitality, and energy and resource segments. Emirates, British Airways, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Hyatt, Hilton, Chevron, ADNOC and Royal Caribbean International are among its clients, as per the company's website. In India, IBS is implementing software solutions for air cargo operations, and also the staff

IndiGo Airlines world's second fastest-growing airline in seat capacity

At 10.1% growth in 2024, it is only behind Qatar Airways, which grew 10.4%: OAG

Not in discussions for ventures with other airlines at present: flydubai

Gulf carrier flydubai on Monday said it continuously looks for opportunities to organically grow its network in India and is not in any discussions for ventures with other airlines at present. The statement comes against the backdrop of reports that the airline along with Busy Bee Airways might be looking at buying the assets of grounded Go First. Meanwhile, Nishant Pitti, the majority shareholder in Busy Bee Airways, on Monday said there are no discussions with flydubai. India has always been a very important market for flydubai, an airline spokesperson said in the statement and added that it continuously looks for opportunities to grow the network organically in India. "We are not currently in any discussions for ventures with other airlines. If this changes in the future, an official announcement will be made," the spokesperson said. On January 20, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) ordered the liquidation of Go First, the budget carrier that stopped flying nearly two yea

Aircraft tech glitches reported by Indian airlines fall in last 3 yrs: Govt

The number of technical glitches in aircraft reported by various Indian airlines has reduced in the last three years, with the count at 273 for 10,69,680 flights operated during the period from January 2024 to January 2025. In 2023, there were 390 technical faults reported for 11,94,777 flights operated that year. In 2022, the number stood at 723 for 9,97,041 flights operated in that particular year, official data showed on Monday. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the data available for the last three years (2022-2024) shows there was a decrease in the number of technical glitches reported by the airlines. Technical snags are general phenomena in aircraft which may be caused due to improper function/malfunction of components/ system/ accessories fitted on the aircraft, he said in a written reply. Separately, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the government has been encouraging the development of the ecosystem for the manufacturing of aircraft, .

Akasa Air appoints Belson Coutinho as COO to oversee operations, growth

Belson Coutinho, a key member of Akasa Air's leadership since 2022, previously served as chief marketing and experience officer before being appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Air India to increase global coverage in years ahead: CEO Wilson

Air India has covered a lot of ground since privatisation and its global coverage will further increase in the years ahead, the airline's chief Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday. He also said the interior refit of the single-aisle fleet, serving domestic and short-haul international destinations, is underway, and will be completed by mid-2025. Loss-making Air India was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022, and is undergoing an ambitious five-year transformation plan. In 2024, Air India completed the merger of Vistara with itself as well as integration of Air India Express and AIX Connect was also done. In his New Year message, Wilson said these mergers and new aircraft deliveries have taken Air India Group's fleet to 300 aircraft, allowing it to expand to over 100 domestic and international destinations. "Air India's global coverage will further increase in the years ahead, not least because of the recent addition of 100 aircraft to our order book, augmen

Indian carriers see 12% more domestic flyers at 14.2 million in Nov

Indian airlines carried 1.42 crore passengers on domestic routes in November, nearly 12 per cent more compared to the year-ago period, amid rising air traffic demand. In terms of domestic market share, IndiGo topped the list with a 63.6 per cent pie, followed by Air India (24.4 per cent), Akasa Air (4.7 per cent) and SpiceJet (3.1 per cent). While all these carriers saw their share rise, the share of Alliance Air was unchanged at 0.7 per cent in November, according to the latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2024 were 1,464.02 lakh as against 1,382.34 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 5.91 per cent and monthly growth of 11.90 per cent," the watchdog said in its monthly report. Domestic air passenger traffic was at 142.52 lakh in November compared to 127.36 lakh in the same period a year ago. In October this year, domestic ...

Govt sets Rs 1 cr fine for airline bomb hoaxes under revised security rules

Hoax bomb threats on airlines now attract fines up to Rs 1 crore under revised Aircraft Security Rules as the Centre aims to curb disruptions, and enhance safety

Akasa Air pilots flag training and safety practices, airline denies charges

The section of Akasa Air pilots wrote to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and highlighted alleged unfair practices, harassment and safety concerns.

Pilot aspirants should look at fascinating Indian market: IATA chief

Bullish on the aviation growth prospects in the "fascinating" Indian market, IATA chief Willie Walsh on Tuesday said somebody with an ambition to be a pilot should be looking at India, considering the large number of aircraft orders placed by the domestic airlines. The Director General of the global airlines' grouping, which has been flagging issues about high airport charges in India, also mentioned that Indian regulators seem to be more open to listening to the voices of airlines with respect to airport charges. "(We are seeing) some good economic regulations," Walsh said in response to a query from PTI related to airport charges. India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets and airlines are expanding their operations, with Air India and IndiGo placing significant orders for aircraft, including wide body A350s. Noting that India is going to see significant growth in the domestic market, Walsh said that aircraft orders have been announced by the local carriers, wit

DGCA to streamline norms for Indian airlines' wet-leased plane operations

Aviation watchdog DGCA will soon come out with streamlined regulations for wet-leasing of planes by Indian airlines that will also entail enhanced oversight of the aircraft, amid airlines looking to operate more planes to meet rising travel demand. With persisting supply chain woes, there is a delay in aircraft deliveries and to meet the near-term needs, carriers are opting for planes on dry and wet leases. A senior official in the know told PTI that the efforts are on to streamline the regulations for wet-leasing of planes to assist in the growth of the aviation. "Realities of the engine problems cannot be wished away suddenly and on the other side, the possible routes are also increasing all the time," the official said. Many planes of IndiGo are on the ground due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues and the number of such aircraft is slowly coming down. Generally, wet-leasing of an aircraft involves the leasing of foreign aircraft, along with crew, maintenance and insurance. The ..

Why Indian airlines can't raise fares despite soaring passenger demand

Despite soaring passenger numbers, Indian airlines can't raise fares due to fierce competition, rising costs, and price sensitivity, leaving them struggling to stay profitable