Page 8 - Indian Aviation

Go First lenders to challenge move that could let lessors reclaim planes

The Go First bankruptcy filing lists Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank and Deutsche Bank among its lenders

New national policy may turn India's airports into global transit hubs

If enacted, the policy will address challenges such as double security checks and immigration bottlenecks to better streamline travel

Go First lenders to not release more funding to grounded airline: Report

"Now the situation is quite different and the future is bleak," said a banker with a state-run bank that has exposure to Go First

DGCA committee may conclude graft probe against senior official in a week

It has been alleged that Anil Gill, Director of the Flying and Training Division at the DGCA, misused his authority to obtain three aircraft as bribes from flying schools

A-I expands domestic, global distribution networks with global partners

Air India on Monday said it has ramped up its domestic and international distribution networks with extended multi-year agreements with global distribution systems partners Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. "The deals together enable travel agents, resellers, and corporations around the world to access Air India's seat inventory and fares. Air India's new expanded agreements with the GDS partners now include the delivery of New Distribution Capability (NDC) products that provide travellers benefits such as personalised pricing, attractive fare bundles, and new ancillaries," it said in a release. The agreements with Amadeus and Sabre have been expanded to include the domestic content as well as distribution and servicing of NDC content, it added. Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India in January last year and a transformation plan is underway at the airline.

Govt to meet airlines officials to discuss consumer grievances on Nov 8

Amid rising complaints from air travellers, the Centre has called a meeting on November 8 with senior officials of all airlines and travel portals to discuss grievances related to 'refund not given after ticket cancellation' and showing every seat as 'paid' despite free web check-in, among others. Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, in a media briefing, said about 10,000 complaints related to the airline sector has been received through the government's National Consumer Helpline in the last one year. About half of the complaints are related to "ticket cancelled but no refund received from airlines". Some of the major grievances also include airlines showing every seat as paid despite free mandatory web check-in, he said. "These complaints are just a tip of the iceberg. We have called a meeting on November 8 to discuss these consumer grievances with all airlines, travel portals and consumer organisations," Singh said. While booking a ticket either through airline websites

Akasa Air plans to list on bourses by end of the decade: CEO Vinay Dube

India's newest airline Akasa Air, which is set to soon fly on international routes and will be placing a three-digit aircraft order, plans to list on the bourses by the end of the decade, its Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube told PTI. The 14-month-old Akasa Air, which already operates more than 750 weekly flights across 16 domestic destinations, including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Delhi, is looking at "gathering a little more history" before launching an initial public offering (IPO), he said. The airline plans to start international services by the end of this fiscal and has placed a firm order for 76 Boeing 737 MAX aeroplanes, all of which will join its fleet by mid-2027. Currently, Akasa Air has a fleet of 20 aircraft and is looking to place an order for three-digit aircraft before the end of 2023, he noted. Dube, the founder and CEO, said the airline is already generating free cash from operations and is well-funded for the new aircraft order it is going to place. Abo

Looking at a mix of int'l destinations, not just West Asia: Akasa Air CEO

(Pilot row) one of the things we didn't plan for because it is unimaginable, says Vinay Dube

Air India seeks to boost its talent pool with interactive program SOAR

Air India has started an interactive programme to hire students from business schools as the airline expands its fleet and operations. The Tata Group-owned carrier on Thursday said it started SOAR (Spirit of Aviation Reimagined) in August and is a first-of-its-kind student interactive programme in the aviation industry. This unique move to engage fresh talent to the nuances of the aviation sector will go a long way in augmenting Air India's employee pool with the best talent, it said in a release on Thursday. SOAR is the airline's business challenge-based annual nationwide B-school competition and part of its campus outreach programme. The loss-making carrier, which has embarked on a five-year transformation journey under the Tata Group, said its talent augmentation drives over the last one year have been receiving overwhelming response from the market and leading institutes with the initial recruitment drive for management post-graduates drawing response from over 25,000 applicant

A-I to take delivery of 1 aircraft every 6 days on avg till 2024-end: CEO

Air India Group, which has embarked on ambitious expansion plans, is expected to take delivery of a new aircraft every six days on average till the end of 2024, according to a top official. The group, comprising Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect and Vistara, is owned by the Tatas, which is also in the process of consolidating its airline business. "Air India Group to take delivery of one new aircraft every six days on an average till the end of 2024," Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday. Speaking at a function here for the unveiling of Air India Express' new brand identity, Wilson also said that it is an exciting day for the group. Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India in January 2022. Earlier this year, Air India placed orders for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing at USD 70 billion (based on published list prices). The deliveries of the new planes will start from November this year. Air India Express is i

After Jindal, Jettwings submits expression of interest for Go First

On Wednesday, Naveen Jindal-led Jindal Power Limited (JPL) also submitted an EoI for Go First

Air India to operate non-stop Kolkata-Bangkok flights from Oct 23

Air India is all set to introduce a non-stop service between Kolkata and Bangkok from October 23. Launched during the festive season in Kolkata, this new flight will cater to the need for a convenient direct connection between the two cities, the airline said in a statement on Wednesday. It will operate six days a week from Monday to Friday. Flight number AI-322 will depart Kolkata at 10 pm (local time) to reach Bangkok at 2.05 am (local time) the next day. The return flight AI321 will take off from Bangkok at 3.05 am to land in Kolkata at 4.10 am. The flight will be operated with a narrow-body Airbus aircraft and it will have a two-class configuration business and economy. The direct service to Bangkok will offer an opportunity for Air India passengers to take convenient connections via Bangkok to and from 10 popular destinations in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia on the network of Bangkok Airways, with which Air India enjoys an interline partnership with seamless connections beyon

Global aviation leasing body downgrades India in light of Go First case

With AWG's downgrade, it is probable that lessors will increase the aircraft leasing rates for Indian carriers

Can't interfere in dispute between Akasa Air and its pilots: DGCA

The DGCA "does not have any power or delegated authority to interfere in any employment contract," it said

Green deposits, corrosion on leased planes, Go First lessor tells Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court reserved its orders in three applications filed by aircraft lessors of the airline seeking permission to maintain their aircraft

SpiceJet completes payment of Rs 100 crore to KAL Airways Private Limited

The Delhi High Court on August 24 told CMD Singh to pay Rs 100 crore dues to Maran by September 10

Need clear chain of command to handle safety, DGCA tells Air India

The DGCA told the airline to remove this confusion so that there is a clear line of communication between the regulator, accountable manager and chief of flight safety

Growth fundamentals of aviation sector strong, no slowdown: Boeing India

Asserting that the Indian aviation sector's growth fundamentals are strong, aircraft maker Boeing has said that significant skilling of people to meet demand, rationalisation of fuel taxes and continued infrastructure investments will keep the growth going. Boeing, which has hundreds of aircraft on order from Indian carriers, has also announced various investments, including USD 100 million for training pilots in the country. Besides, it has maintenance training partnerships with partners for having enough skilled mechanics in India. "We see no slowdown (in India) and we continue to see very high load factors, extremely high rates of profitability amongst the airlines and we see extremely strong demand for aeroplanes as we have seen in some of the largest orders ever placed in the world. "Overall, we see that demand grows. We are also seeing significant advancements in infrastructure as new terminals come up... new greenfield airports come up...That is going to be a boon to Indian .

Go First to credit two months of salary in Sept: CEO Kaushik Khona

Go First has 2,198 employees on its payroll, of which 1,000 are serving their notice period. The airline has 103 captains, 26 co-pilots, and 374 cabin crew staff

Air India's accumulated losses at FY23-end estimated at Rs 14,000 crore

Air India's losses include write-offs on old planes and engines and those on account of AirAsia India