Indian Aviation

IndiGo, Air India Express rank among top 10 LCCs flying from West Asia

IndiGo and Air India Express together account for 15 per cent of West Asia's LCC seat capacity, despite Indian carriers operating only international flights

100 new airports to be built in India over next 10 years: Aviation minister

India will build 100 new airports in the next 10 years under the Centre's regional connectivity scheme UDAN with an outlay of Rs 30,000 crore, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has said. He inaugurated India's third 'hub & spoke' operations from Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday. "While there were 74 airports in 2014, today we can proudly say that India's map features 166 airports. Going from 74 to 166 set a record for the country. Over the last 12 years, we completed work on a new airport or a new terminal roughly every 40 days," Naidu said at the event. "This 12-year journey was merely the beginning for the Ministry of Civil Aviation. We have expanded upon the revolutionary changes brought to the air travel sector by the 'UDAN' scheme over the past decade. Looking ahead, we plan to spend approximately Rs 30,000 crore over the next 10 years to build 100 new airports," he said. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year approved the launch and ..

International flyers won't need physical boarding passes from Sep 1: Report

International passengers flying out of India can use e-boarding passes at immigration counters from September 1, while physical boarding passes will remain accepted but will no longer be stamped

Centre okays RGNAU expansion plan, directs UP govt to allot 500 acres

The Centre has approved a proposal of the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University (RGNAU) at Fursatganj in Amethi to expand its aerospace activities on an additional 500 acres, and directed the Uttar Pradesh government to make the land available for it, a top official has said. "The Centre has approved our proposal and sent it to the Uttar Pradesh government for making 500 acres of land available to us," RGNAU Vice Chancellor B N Singh told reporters on Friday. Singh said a centre of excellence would be developed once the state government provides the land, for which a survey is currently underway. The vice-chancellor said he recently met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who assured him that the land would be made available soon. The proposed expansion will include state-of-the-art laboratories, research centres and other infrastructure aimed at promoting higher education, research and innovation in aviation, aerospace and allied fields, he said. According to the ..

After the plunge

The latest incident comes just a year after the fatal Boeing 787 Air India crash, which is yet to find a closure with no clarity on what caused the catastrophic accident in Ahmedabad just seconds afte

Two more Air India pilots test positive for psychoactive substances

The pilots have been removed from the duty roster and their samples sent for confirmatory tests as Air India continues its one-time mandatory screening exercise

Air India shifts all Vizag flights to Bhogapuram airport: Check details

All scheduled flights shift to Bhogapuram from August 17 as Visakhapatnam Airport ends commercial operations; old VTZ code now represents new airport

Delhi airport plans to raise annual passenger handling capacity to 125 mn

Delhi airport plans to increase its annual passenger handling capacity to 125 million from the current level of 106 million under the proposed ten-year master plan, according to a source. As part of the expansion under the master plan, DIAL also proposes to build Pier E at Terminal 3 (T3) with a capacity of 10 million by April 2030. For now, no decision has been firmed up on having Terminal 4 or building the Automatic Passenger Mover (APM). The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital is operated by the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). IGIA, also the country's biggest airport, has three terminals -- T1, T2 and T3 -- and international flight operations are only from T3. The source told PTI that the master plan for 10 years till 2036 will be finalised after consultations with the stakeholders. In the first phase, the proposal is to increase the annual passenger handling capacity to 116 million by April 2030. The capacity will be further raised to 12

No more fear of flying: India needs more competition in the skies

We are now in 2026. Indian consumers have taken to air travel in a big way and there will be continued demand as long as air fares don't balloon

Expats in aviation: Indian carriers must nurture domestic talent

The current scenario, where airlines are unable to find suitable top candidates in India, can be partly traced back to the country's chequered aviation history

Akasa Air, AI Express say their B737 planes not impacted by FAA directive

Akasa Air and Air India Express, the key operators of Boeing 737 planes in India, on Friday said their fleets are not impacted by the US aviation watchdog FAA's directive for inspection of these jets for possible fuselage cracks. Apart from Akasa Air and Air India Express, SpiceJet also operates the narrow-body Boeing 737 aircraft, but the airline did not comment on the impact of the directive. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for certain Boeing 737-8, 737-9 and 737-8200 aircraft. There were reports of cracks in the bearing strap at the forward upper corner of the forward galley door cutout of the aircraft. The directive requires an inspection of the fuselage skin for existing repairs and applicable on-condition actions, according to the watchdog. In a statement, a Boeing spokesperson said it identified and reported this issue and has been working with operators on it over the past six years. Since 2021, there have been

Demand strong despite macro challenges, says Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube

Akasa Air sees resilient travel demand despite rising fuel and forex costs, while betting on new airports and long-term expansion

No proposal to blend ethanol with ATF, says Civil Aviation Minister Naidu

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said there is no proposal to blend ethanol with Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) and that spreading misinformation on aviation safety creates needless anxiety among air travellers. His comments come against the backdrop of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claiming that the central government was planning to blend ethanol in ATF. "Sources indicate that the Modi government plans to mix ethanol in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). Experts say that this could seriously compromise the safety of flights," Kejriwal said in a post on X. Naidu said the claim that the government plans to blend ethanol with ATF is completely false and irresponsible and added that there is no such proposal. "Spreading misinformation on aviation safety only creates needless anxiety among air travellers. Passenger safety remains the Government's highest priority," the minister said in a post on X. Elaborating, Naidu said ethanol and Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Tewolde Gebremariam to replace Campbell Wilson as Air India CEO & MD

Air India on Wednesday announced the appointment of former Ethiopian Airlines Group chief Tewolde Gebremariam as the next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He will replace Campbell Wilson, who announced his resignation in April this year. In a release, Air India said it rigorously evaluated internal as well as highly accomplished external candidates from across the world before deciding on Gebremariam. The appointment comes at a crucial time when the loss-making Air India is working on expansion amid multiple external headwinds. Gebremariam has served as the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, where he spearheaded a multi-billion-dollar expansion, transforming a regional carrier into Africa's largest and most profitable airline, the release said.

Dominating the skies: Indian aviation needs more competition and choice

The consolidation has left the market with two airlines of consequence - IndiGo and the Air India group

PM Modi inaugurates ₹5,000 cr Bhogapuram Airport in Andhra Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport here at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district. The Andhra Pradesh government views the nearly Rs 5,000 crore Bhogapuram Airport, developed by GMR Group, not merely as an infrastructure project, but as a transformational asset for the entire North Andhra region. It was conceived as a catalyst for industrial growth, employment generation, exports, skill development and research. Designed to handle six million passengers annually in the first phase, the airport also has a master plan to expand the capacity to 40 million passengers annually. Commercial operations of the airport would begin from August 17. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu highlighted the salient features of the airport to the PM. Later in the day, PM Modi would lay the foundation for and inaugurate projects worth nearly Rs 18,000 crore in the southern state.

Have taken all steps to learn from Dec disruption: IndiGo's Rahul Bhatia

IndiGo says it has strengthened operations after last year's disruption as Rahul Bhatia outlines plans for global expansion and making India a major aviation hub

Demand trends, pricing power may keep IndiGo's revenue growth strong

Higher fuel and leasing costs pushed IndiGo into a Q1 loss, but brokerages remain positive on the airline's long-term growth driven by strong demand and international expansion

Adani considering launching airline to push into India's aviation market

The Adani Group is considering starting an airline, a move that could intensify competition in India's aviation market dominated by IndiGo and Air India

Govt weighs easing rules to allow airport operators to own airlines

Government is considering relaxing ownership rules that could allow airport operators such as Adani Group and GMR Airports to own airlines, aiming to boost competition in the domestic aviation market