Majority in India support Covid jab certificate for international travel, daily activities: Survey

New Delhi/Geneva:Amid a raging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of Indians support requiring vaccine certificates for international travel as well as everyday activities such as accessing shops, restaurants and offices, a new survey showed on Thursday.

Globally too, the survey showed that the public widely supports requiring vaccine certificates for international travel and accessing large venues.

However, support is divided when it comes to measures around daily life, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF)/Ipsos survey conducted online across 28 countries among more than 21,000 adults between March 26 and April 9.

The survey found that three in four people support Covid-19 vaccine certificates for travellers entering their country, while two in three think these certificates would also be effective in making large events safe and expect they will be widely used.

"Most public opinions in high- and middle-income countries are looking at vaccination certificates as indispensable tools for travel to resume and large public venues to reopen," said Arnaud Bernaert, head of Health and Healthcare at Geneva-based WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private cooperation.

Some 78 per cent agree that travellers entering their country should be required to have a vaccine certificate; a majority agree in each of the 28 countries surveyed –- from 92 per cent in Malaysia and 90 per cent in Peru to 52 per cent in Hungary and 58 per cent in Poland.

Among Indian respondents, 84 per cent agreed that all travellers entering their country should be required to have a vaccine passport.

Globally, the support level drops when it comes to accessing parts of daily life only recently re-opening.

29/04/21 PTI/Times of India

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The No.2 slot in Indian aviation is up for grabs

The real battle in Indian skies is being played for the number two slot. And in a fragmented aviation market like India where making money is difficult due to intense competition, regulation and sometimes over-regulation, the number two position could potentially be a ticket to raising funds, getting more slots and much more.

Read more about the second slot >>

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Why the government has extended restrictions on domestic flights

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to extend the restrictions on domestic flights introduced at the time of resumption in May 2020 by another month, taking into account the rising Covid-19 cases in the country.

What restrictions have been extended?

At the time of resuming domestic aviation after a two-month shutdown back in May 2020, the Centre fixed fare bands to ensure that passengers were not overcharged on the one hand, and the airlines did not sell below cost to compete on the other.

In March this year, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced a 5 per cent relaxation in the lower fare band due to rising jet fuel prices.

These fare restrictions were extended till May 31, 2021. Further, the government also extended the 80 per cent restriction on schedule that the airlines could operate on domestic routes for another month. Originally, the schedule was capped at 33 per cent of pre-Covid-19 flights, and this was gradually relaxed to 80 per cent.

In a circular, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) noted that these decisions were taken in view of the Covid 19 situation in the country. According to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there were 28,82,204 active cases in the country as of Tuesday, 8 am, an increase of 68,546 over the previous day.

As per the latest available data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 1.45 lakh passengers departed from Indian airports on Sunday, which had peaked at 2.83 lakh on Mach 27 this year. According to DGCA data, 78.22 lakh people travelled on domestic flights in the month of March, compared with 78.27 lakh in February (a 28-day month).

29/04/21 Pranav Mukul/Indian Express

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Give aviation professionals priority in Covid vaccination drive, Centre to states

New Delhi: With all adults eligible to get Covid vaccination from May 1, the aviation ministry has requested all state government to consider people working in the aviation sector like airlines, airports, cargo, ground handling, fuelling, security, catering and maintenance as priority group for being given the jabs. Acting Union aviation secretary T K Pandey on Tuesday wrote to all states to seek priority for them.

“Air transportation is an essential service for unhindered movement of people and cargo. Aviation sector has been in the forefront to extend services to movement of people, essential medical cargo, including vaccines… during ongoing Covid-19 pandemic… crew, engineers, air traffic controllers, technicians, grand staff and frontline workers in aviation face significant risk while discharging their duties.

To ensure the sector continues to render essential services ot the nation, it is imperative that aviation work force s covered on priority in the vaccination programme,” Pandey’s letter says.

29/04/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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COVID-19 Risk Increases By 50% If Passengers Board Plane Back To Front: Study

As scientists look for ways to slash the coronavirus contagion, recent research has claimed that passengers boarding an aircraft from back to front actually increased the risk of infection by 50 per cent. The study, published April 28, in the Royal Society Open Science Journal clarified that the high risk comes from closer contact between same row passengers clustering in the aisle as they stow their luggage. The findings quash the theory that back-to-front boarding, as opposed to random boarding, was safer when it came to air travel.

The idea of back to front boarding was first adopted by US’ Delta Airlines and was soon followed by others. Perpetrators of the theory have argued that by allowing aircraft to be boarded back to front, they would reduce exposure between seated passengers and those walking down the plane. Meanwhile, the recent study argued that the risk of virus exposure could be reduced by stopping people using overhead storage bins, and by boarding passengers in window seats before those in aisle seats.

Delta adopted back-to-front boarding to "minimize contact with other customers," according to its website, though the Atlanta based airline only boards 10 passengers at a time. The change was among several across the industry -- including blocking out middle seats --- to persuade passengers it is safe to get back on a plane.

28/04/21 Riya Baibhawi/Republic World

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How India’s airline sector troubles with Covid surge are spilling into global travel market

New Delhi: The ferocious surge in new coronavirus cases that has turned India into the global pandemic hotspot has also reversed one of the airline industry’s biggest travel comebacks.

Carriers in India had reached 87% of their pre-pandemic seat capacity through early April, based on a Bloomberg analysis of data from flight tracker OAG. That progress has now unraveled as the surge in infections led to a pullback in domestic flights, which make up the vast majority of the market.

As of the start of this week, capacity had fallen to 71% of 2019 levels, a 16 percentage-point drop over three weeks, the data show. Further eroding demand is a move by nations including Singapore, Australia, the U.K. and the United Arab Emirates to impose restrictions on visitors from India.

Using weekly OAG data, Bloomberg has built a flight tracker to monitor the pulse of the global air-travel comeback. The latest update shows continued progress in China, while plans to increase capacity in the U.S. and Europe haven’t yet taken hold. With operators still canceling flights from India, the number of seats offered globally may have fallen slightly from last week.

India’s expansive domestic network made it one of the world’s fastest-growing countries for aviation before the recent Covid-19 outbreak. Short-haul carriers such as IndiGo propelled India to the world’s third-largest market. And earlier on in the pandemic, the South Asian country of 1.4 billion people won plaudits for enforcing strict social distancing rules that lowered the infection rate. But now the country’s public health system is being overwhelmed by an aggressive surge in cases, with daily infections exceeding 300,000.

As the outbreak overwhelms the nation’s hospitals and crematoriums, an upturn in air travel won’t happen until the latest crisis is contained, said Rob Morris, the head of consultancy at U.K. aviation advisory firm Cirium.

“It looks as though things will get worse for the Indian aviation industry before they get better,’’ Morris said.

28/04/21 Layan Odeh and Siddharth Philip/Print

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Covid fears: DGCA relaxes breath analyser test requirement for crew members

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has relaxed the breath analyser (BA) test requirements for crew members, in wake of the uncontrolled rise in Covid cases in India and Air India pilots moving Delhi High Court seeking a suspension of this test for fearing of getting the infection while blowing in that tube. Now an Indian carrier will need to conduct pre-flight BA test on 10% — down from 25% earlier — of its pilots and crew members operating domestic flights on a daily basis, says an order issued by DGCA deputy DG Maneesh Kumar. Similarly, air traffic controllers will be also be tested randomly at each airport daily.

All crew members operating international flights will need to undergo pre-flight BA test. The requirement for private aircraft operators has not been changed due to their relatively low scale of operations that makes it easier for them to ensure sterile equipment for crew members.

“In view of the rising Covid-19 cases, DGCA has reviewed the conduct of BA test for aviation personnel… (these changes) are purely temporary in view of Covid-19 till further order and subject to outcome (of the high court case),” the order says.

The BA equipment will need to be sanitised using UV sanitisers before every use. Medical personnel conducting these tests have been asked to first check the crew member for Covid symptoms. Those found with symptoms “shall be exempted from BT test and moved from duty… This will not treated as missed BA,” the order says. They will then undergo required Covid tests and return for duty after being declared fit.

28/04/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Set up medical panel to see if breath analyser test necessary during COVID-19, HC tells DGCA

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Tuesday directed civil aviation regulator DGCA to set up a medical committee to examine whether breath analyser (BA) tests of pilots and cabin crew need to be conducted or blood tests would suffice as an alternative.

Justice Prathiba M Singh said the committee shall keep in mind the safety of passengers as also of pilots and cabin crew while deciding whether conducting BA tests would be advisable during the prevailing pandemic which has seen a surge in infections.

The order was passed in view of an April 27 draft order of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which has decided that 10 per cent of flight crew and cabin crew members involved in domestic operations shall be subjected to random preflight BA test.

The regulator said that under the new testing protocol, which was a temporary measure and would be valid till May 17, air traffic controllers would be subjected to random BA test before commencement of duty at each station on a daily basis.

DGCA also told the court that undertakings are required to be furnished by flight and cabin crew that they have not consumed any alcohol or psychotropic substance in the 12 hours prior to a flight.

The court directed that the committee shall place its report before the next date of hearing on May 5.

Meanwhile, DGCA shall implement the new protocols starting from Wednesday, April 28, the court said.

The order came on the plea by an association representing pilots of Air India seeking suspension of BA tests during the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

During the hearing, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) -- represented by advocate Adit S Pujari -- told the court that UV (ultra violet) sanitization of the BA test kit would not suffice as once a pilot breathes into it, the droplets would remain inside the machine and the UV light would not reach inside.

The court asked the committee to examine this claim made by ICPA as well.

It declined to give more time to DGCA to set up a committee, saying even if only 10 per cent pilots and cabin crew are subjected to BA test, the number of personnel at risk was huge and the issue needs to be examined at the earliest.

ICPA has sought suspension of BATs during the ongoing pandemic which has seen a surge in infections.

27/04/21 PTI/Outlook

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‘Get Me Out’: Wealthy Flee India’s Covid Crises By Any Means

"Get me out," were the three words messaged to Charles Robinson. Their author was one of many wealthy Indians attempting to flee the country's worsening Covid-19 pandemic by any means.

"This gentleman didn’t mind where to or how and even requested we look into helicopter options to shuttle him across the border where he could then transit through and head elsewhere," says Robinson, the founder of private jet charter company Just Jet.

As India reported a record number of Covid-19 cases over the weekend, those with enough money are rushing to charter jets or helicopters to fly them out of the country.

Many don't mind where they end up, as long as it is somewhere with good healthcare, and preferably a decent vaccination program. At home, hospitals are running out of oxygen to treat Covid-19 patients and vaccine stocks are dangerously low.

But a growing list of countries are now closing their borders to Indians, meaning travel for even the richest Indians is highly restricted.

Robinson was able to find a jet to fly his client to Abu Dhabi, just before the UAE suspended all incoming flights from India on Sunday (25 April).

There was a similar rush to London before the U.K. added India to its ‘Red List', meaning any new arrivals would have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for ten days.

Pakistan has also closed its border with India. The country is witnessing a rising number of Covid-19 cases, and doctors fear a crisis similar to India's as ventilator and oxygen supplies run low.

"It's not only the ultra rich. Whoever can afford to take a private jet are taking private jets," Rajan Mehra, CEO of New Delhi-based Club One Air, told Bloomberg.

Given the extortionate cost of flying private (a one-way flight from Delhi to Abu Dhabi can cost as much as $20,000), many of the not-quite-so-wealthy Indians are flying to the nearest country that will take them.

27/04/21 Ollie Williams/Forbes

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Will India’s Civil Aviation Industry Make a Comeback?

With the pandemic halting the economy to a screeching halt and travel being a thing of the past, one of the industries worst hit by the pandemic has been the aviation industry. The pandemic has resulted global industry wide losses amounting up to $47.7 Billion in 2021 continuing from the net industry loss of $126.4 Billion in 2020. 

Now, it is no wonder that for as long as the necessary lockdowns will be in place there is little to be expected from the industry recovering. 

However, let’s take a look at India’s case and a deeper dive into India’s Civil Aviation Industry >>

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Coast Guard conducts successful landing, deck trial of ALH Mk-III helicopter

New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has conducted successful landing and deck trial of the newly-inducted ALH Mk-III helicopter on one of its ships off Chennai coast, said an official statement on Tuesday.

The ICG called it a landmark event in "ship integration" of this indigenously-built helicopter.

"In a sea-air coordinated operation, first ever successful landing and deck trial of newly inducted ''state-of-the-art'' ALH Mk-III helicopter on ICG ship undertaken off Chennai on April 26, 2021," it noted.

The integration will increase reach and operational capabilities of the ICG manifold, it stated.

27/04/21 PTI/Outlook

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What do the new travel restrictions mean for flights out of India?

New Delhi: With Iran and Kuwait also suspending flights from India on account of the Covid-19 surge here, a dozen countries have now imposed some form of fresh restriction on travellers from India to protect their jurisdictions from the virus spread.

The UK, Singapore, New Zealand, Oman, Kuwait, the UAE, Iran, Hong Kong and Canada have imposed restrictions on passengers arriving from India by allowing only citizens to enter their borders. Even passengers who have been to India in the previous 14 days or are transiting through an airport in India are not allowed to enter. Other countries like France have imposed a strict quarantine routine for passengers arriving from India, while the US has issued an advisory asking people not to travel to India, even if fully vaccinated. Australia, on the other hand, has said that it will restrict the number of its citizens that can enter its borders from India.

US-based United Airlines Friday canceled its flights out of Delhi to destinations such as Newark, San Francisco and Chicago citing “ongoing Covid-19 travel requirement discussions with local authorities” that were impacting its ability to operate the flights. However, the airline later said that it was resuming its flights from Sunday. Also, its Mumbai flights continued to operate as per schedule.

The US has not yet announced any fresh restrictions on travellers from India. But the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention issued a non-binding advisory asking people to not go to India even if fully vaccinated. The US State Department has echoed this advisory. It must be noted though that the US Embassy in New Delhi has cancelled in-person visa appointments and interview-waiver appointments from April 26 till May 9 in light of “current pandemic conditions”. Emergency services for American citizens will continue and consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata will continue to offer limited visa appointments.

27/04/21 Pranav Mukul/Indian Express

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IAF plane flies three empty oxygen tankers from Indore to Raipur

Indore: An Indian Air Force C-17 transport plane on Wednesday ferried three empty oxygen tankers from Indore to Raipur for refilling, an official said.

The aircraft took off from Jamnagar air base in Gujarat to reach Indore and later flew with empty tankers of 30, 24 and 16 ton capacity to Raipur in Chhattisgarh.

Parts of the outer body of the tankers had to be removed or cut for fitting them inside the plane which took nearly five hours, said Aryma Sanyal, director of the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport here.

While around 10 tankers have been flown from Indore since April 23, for the first time three tankers were ferried at a time, she added.

The tankers will be loaded with liquid oxygen at the Bhilai Steel Plant, said MP Audyogik Vikas Nigam (MPIDC) Executive Director Rohan Saxena.

It takes 20 hours for a tanker to reach Raipur by road while an IAF sortie takes just an hour, he said.

The tankers will return to Madhya Pradesh by road as oxygen-filled tankers are not transported by air due to safety risks, he added.

27/04/21 PTI/Outlook

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India flight ban: Will government rescue airlines with a US-style bailout package?

Dubai: The latest ban on commercial flights from India will further dent recovery prospects for the country’s airlines, still reeling from the devastation of last year.

“Prior to the pandemic, India’s air travel industry was vulnerable - despite it having a huge market and all of its major airports being in expansion mode,” said John Boyd, founder of the aviation consultancy Boyd Company. “Most airlines were short on cash and suffered with weak balance-sheets.”

Then came COVID-19, with India immediately grounding most of its airline services, international and domestic. Only Air India was allowed to operate, as part of the ‘Vande Bharat’ repatriation mission for Indians stuck abroad when lockdowns hit.

Now, with a second infection wave sweeping the country and countries suspending flights from India, a fresh crisis is brewing for airlines.

Several of them took the opportunity to launch routes to new markets – but all this may be coming to an end now. Vistara, a joint venture between India’s Tata Group and Singapore Airlines - with its business model focused so heavily on serving London’s Heathrow Airport – will be especially hurt by this latest round of travel restrictions, added Boyd.

27/04/21 John Benny/Gulf News

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Indian COVID-19 strain threatens Gulf aviation

Neha Bhatia, Construction & Infrastructure Editor at GlobalData’s MEED, said: “More than 8.5 million Indians resided in the GCC in 2018, according to data from the Indian External Affairs Ministry. The size of this demographic, combined with wide-bodied jets, low fuel costs and hub airports, has played a key role in driving passenger revenues for Gulf flag carriers over the years. However, travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 rocked this business model in 2020 and hopes of recovery may now by stunted by the discovery of new strains of the virus in India.”

India, which as of 21 April had the world’s second-highest number of COVID-19 cases after the US, has been reporting more than 200,000 daily cases since 14 April. Long-term travel risks could persist as patient numbers reportedly outstrip the availability of essential healthcare infrastructure.

Over the past week, New Zealand and the UK have announced a ban on passenger arrivals from India, and the US’s Centre for Disease Control & Prevention is advising even vaccinated individuals against travelling to India. In the UAE, newly announced rules mandate that Dubai-bound travellers from India carry polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results received 48 hours prior to the flight, replacing the previous requirement of 72-hour validity for the pre-departure test report. Validity requirements for Abu Dhabi (96 hours) and Sharjah (72 hours) remain unchanged at present.

Bhatia added: “India’s double-mutation of the coronavirus could single-handedly delay near-term aviation recovery in the GCC, which counts Indian cities such as Mumbai and Kochi among the busiest international destinations – for direct as well as stopover flights – served by its three super-connectors. Ticket fares for flights between these cities and Dubai had already significantly declined due to COVID-19 and may further dwindle if the Indian healthcare situation worsens and stricter quarantine and curfew regulations are introduced.

26/04/21 Arabian Aerospace

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Domestic flight operations to continue at 80% capacity till May 31: Govt

The central government on Monday said due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country, domestic flight operations will be restricted to 80 per cent capacity of last year's summer schedule.

The 80 per cent cap will remain effective till 11.59 pm on May 31, the government said.

On March 19, the central government had announced that all domestic airlines will have to limit their capacity to 80 per cent of the pre-Covid capacity because the number of air passengers has declined due to Covid-related restrictions.

Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had tweeted that there has been a decline in the number of air passengers as some states have imposed restrictions such as compulsory RT-PCR tests due to a renewed spike in coronavirus cases.

"Last few days have seen a decline in the number of air passengers largely due to restrictions and imposition of compulsory RT-PCR test by various states. Due to this we have decided to retain the permissible limit to 80 per cent of schedule," Puri had said.

The government had increased the cap from 70 per cent to 80 per cent in December last year as India's Covid-19 cases started declining.

26/04/21 Poulomi Saha/India Today

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Hardeep Singh Puri Hails Civil Aviation's COVID Warriors For Diligently Performing Duties

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday hailed the ‘Corona Warriors’ of the civil aviation sector saying that they have been “diligently performing their duties despite great personal risks to ensure that we can continue to reach out to our people in their hour of need.” Calling the civil aviation essential staff members “relentless and undaunted,” Puri informed that an Air India Flight AI1369 had urgently departed from Singapore with 500 BiPAPs, 250 oxygen concentrator, and other medical supplies for Mumbai, to tackle India’s upfront fight against the more transmissible COVID-19 variant surge, that sabotages health systems. India’s civil aviation minister also commended the repatriation efforts of the Air India crew, stating that in such dire times, the crew has been able to lift more than 80.2 lakh stranded citizens from other countries back to their homeland under India’s 'Vande Bharat Mission'. 

“India’s private carriers are strengthening our efforts against the pandemic,” Puri said, as he stressed that India is fighting novel coronavirus “together” with resilience. In positive news, Puri continued that the civil aircraft Spice Jet had airlifted 800 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong to India. He shared a photograph of SpiceXpress’s B737 freighter aircraft which was at the time, lifting the consignment to fly it back to India. The aircraft was bound for Delhi via Kolkata and landed Sunday 7 pm. “SpiceJet is firmly committed to the service of our fellow Indians in these most trying and difficult times,” SpiceJet’s Chairman and Managing Director, Ajay Singh said. He added, in a Twitter post, We're working to bring more than 10,000 more oxygen concentrators from across the world in the next few weeks.”

26/04/21 Zaini Majeed/Republic World

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India’s rich paid at least 100,000 pounds to book private jets in race to meet UK flight curbs deadline

Super rich Indians shelled out an estimated 100,000 pounds to schedule private jets to fly them to the United Kingdom ahead of the country’s “red listing” of Indian travellers could begin on April 23.

Data analysis by the Times London showed that at least eight private jets flew into Britain from India in 24 hours before the new travel ban could come into force at 4 am on April 23. The journey from India to the UK is on average nine-hours long.

In fact, one of the jets — a 13-seater Bombardier Global 6000 from Mumbai— landed at London’s Luton airport just 45 minutes ahead of the deadline, while three other flights arrived narrowly missing the deadline.

Luton is London’s busiest airport for private aircrafts.

UK added India to its travel "red list" on April 19 and the country's Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the ban would come into effect from 4 am on April 23.

The announcement came just hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to India.

The UK "red list" names 39 countries, including India, South America, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The restrictions denies entry to anyone who has visited the listed nations in the previous 10 days. The only exception is for British and Irish citizens, who are allowed to return, but will have to undergo mandatory 10-days quarantine from time of arrival.

Hancock had said reason for the ban was because 103 COVID-19 cases of the "Indian variant" – B.1.617 – have now been found in the UK.

25/04/21 Jocelyn Fernandes/Moneycontrol

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Domestic passengers fail to follow COVID protocols in Kerala, international travellers only exception

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the Kerala government strengthened restrictions in place for travellers coming to the state from other parts of India and foreign countries following the second wave of COVID, only air travelers are following the guidelines per se, as there is no strict enforcement of protocols in road and rail routes across the state.

In the case of air passengers, all the international travelers are bound to follow the COVID protocol for their surveillance issued by the Union Government. The domestic travellers, irrespective of their vaccination status, should also carry an RT-PCR test negative result taken 48 hours prior to the journey or should take immediately after entering the state.

The latest travel advisory for the international traveller is that he/she should have a RT-PCR negative result taken 72 hours prior to the journey. They will have to go on home quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. If they are coming without an RT-PCR negative certificate, they will be subjected to a test at the airport. The travel advisory for international passengers are clearly being followed by the travellers as almost all the airlines companies made RT-PCR test results mandatory before boarding the flight. But in the domestic front, things are not so rosy. 

Praveen N A, 26-year-old, who reached Trivandrum airport from Kolkata on Saturday, said he was not asked for RT-PCR negative test result by the airline or health authorities in Kolkata or Trivandrum. "When I reached Trivandrum by a connecting flight from Bangalore, the airport officials asked whether I have RT-PCR test result. As I said I don't have, they asked me to undergo the test once I reached home," he said. 

But the scenario is entirely different in road and rail routes.  As per the latest advisory of the Kerala Government, those who couldn’t undertake the RT-PCR test should remain in room isolation for 

14 days from the date of entry and seek immediate medical attention if they develop any symptoms.

But the fact is that there is no proper system to check the status of passengers other than asking them to register with Covid Jagratha portal. 

25/04/21 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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Cov rules may bring down flyer count

Kolkata: Airlines, travel agents and airport operators expect the passenger count to nosedive from Monday as the state tightens rules on incoming passengers, barring anyone who does not have a negative report of an RT-PCR test from over a dozen cities.

On Friday, the state government had announced that those taking flights to Kolkata, Bagdogra or Andal from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh from Monday would have to furnish an RT-PCR Covid negative test report prior to boarding. Such reports are already required for passengers boarding from Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi.

There is an existing ban on flights from five cities of Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Chennai on four days of the week, barring Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

“Owing to the surge in Covid infection across India, passenger count at the airport has almost halved in a month. The new notification is going to hurt the aviation industry further. Our call centres are flooded with queries from customers saying they are finding it difficult to get themselves tested,” said an airline official.

25/04/21 Tamaghna Banerjee/Times of India

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98 More Air Passengers Flee Assam Hospital To Escape Virus Test

Silchar (Assam): A total of 98 air passengers fled a hospital to avoid mandatory COVID-19 testing after landing at Silchar airport in Assam's Cachar district, a health department official said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Friday, two days after 385 air passengers created disorder at the airport and a hospital and fled without undergoing the test.

The Assam government has made it mandatory for all air passengers arriving in the state to undergo free Rapid Antigen Test followed by an RT-PCR test for ₹ 500 even if the report of the RAT comes negative.

The passengers are tested at the Kumbhirgram Airport in Silchar and the nearby Tikol Model Hospital.

On Friday, altogether 511 passengers landed at the airport by various flights, and 76 among them were exempted from testing as they were transit passengers going to other northeastern states, the health department official Suman Choudhury, told PTI.

While 337 passengers were tested at the Tikal Model Hospital where six tested positive for COVID-19 virus, the remaining 98 fled, the official said.

The matter is under investigation, Ms Choudhury said.

24/04/21 PTI/NDTV

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Three-day wait for Covid charters, cost up 3 times

Mumbai: In the past two weeks, charter aircraft fitted with patient isolation pods and oxygen concentrators to fly Covid patients have been in such demand that if you book one today, your patient gets to board only after two to three days, said industry sources.

“For 15 days, we reduced production at our stainless steel plant in Pithampur to provide 1,200-1,500 oxygen cylinders daily free. Yet, we could not get an air ambulance without a wait of about three days,’’ said Brijesh Agrawal, who flew his Covid positive and diabetic 83-year old grandfather from Agra to Indore this week for Rs 9 lakh. “He was in Mathura, but because Indore has better medical facilities, and our family is here too, we booked the charter,’’ he added.

Others who booked charter flights for Covid patients in the past two days were charged triple the cost. A charter operator said, “A patient was charged Rs 24 lakh to fly from Indore to Chennai.” The fee charged by the doctor onboard has also gone up. “Earlier doctors charged Rs 35,000-Rs 45,000 per trip on a regular air ambulance. Now it has gone up to Rs 2-3 lakh for a Covid air ambulance charter flight,’’ said a source.

25/04/21 Times of India

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GMR Aero Technic to expand footprint

Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based GMR Aero Technic (GAT), a 100 per cent wholly owned subsidiary of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), is developing wide-body aircraft capability for maintenance and painting, capability enhancement to add nacelle and certain critical components, besides diversification into military MRO.

GAT has developed an integrated, third-party airframe maintenance, repair, overhaul and aircraft painting (MRO) facility in Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) for commercial aircraft.

The company was established in 2010 and started operations in 2011, and as on date holds approvals from 21 regulatory bodies such as Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA-India), European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other global regulatory approvals to support maintenance requirements of various international customers.

“Spread over an area of twenty-eight acres, GAT facilities cater to all the airframe MRO needs of an airline / aircraft operator in narrow-body category. This facility can be further expanded on another twenty-five acres, in future,” Ashok Gopinath, chief executive officer, GMR Aero Technic told Telangana Today.

The MRO facility is strategically located at the Hyderabad International Airport, which operates round the clock. Hyderabad is just two hours of flying time away from all major cities in India. Similarly, most of the Middle East and South East Asian cities are only three to five hours flying time from Hyderabad, which helps in achieving logistical efficiency. Furthermore, the GAT facility is located within a Special Economic Zone, simplifying customs procedures and duties, especially for international customers.

23/04/21 Y V Phani Raj/Telangana Today

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Air traffic takes a hit, up to 35% flights remain cancelled

Amid the second wave of COVID-19 cases and restrictions on movement, airlines have taken a severe hit as demand for air travel reduced drastically in April. Strict restrictions and mandatory COVID-19 test have forced people to reconsider their travel plans.

Over the last few days, most airlines have cancelled 20-35 percent of flights and are flying at 50-60 percent of the pre-COVID capacity, the Economic Times reported.

"In the next few days, flight schedules will slump like a deck of cards. This month and the next will be very bleak," a senior executive told the paper.

The decreased demand for air travel may again prompt airlines to cut salaries and reinforce leave without pay for employees. "More airlines will ground more plans and lay off staff," an airline executive said, as per the report.

The data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation showed that air traffic fell for 10 consecutive days in April. Departures on April 20 were down 41 percent to 155,207 compared to March.

The overall passenger flight movement was down 22 percent to 3,570 from 4,583 in March.

With the second wave of COVID-19 deadlier than the first one and daily cases nearly double of what was being reported in the first wave, travel has taken a severe hit.

22/04/21 Moneycontrol

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Aviation sector faces Covid headwind as more nations enforce travel curbs

Thiruvananthapuram: The aviation sector is expected to face strong headwind in the coming weeks after “double mutant” Indian variant of the coronavirus has been detected in at least 10 other countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. 

A senior Air India officer said the reports of ‘Indian mutant’ has forced the UAE to declare that passengers travelling from India to Dubai will have to produce Covid-negative reports taken within 48 hours of departure from Thursday, while it was 72 hours earlier. This is expected to hit Kerala badly as Kerala to Dubai is the busiest route in south India, although routes like Delhi-Dubai and Mumbai-Dubai are also among the world’s busiest international routes. 

The RT-PCR report must also have a QR code linked to the original report for verification by the airline and authorities in UAE. Further, reports of Indian mutants found in foreign countries have forced the United Kingdom to add India to its red list of countries on Monday, following which passengers from here are not allowed to enter the UK from Friday.

While 10-day quarantine has been made mandatory for British or Irish nationals coming from red-listed countries there, the entry is banned for foreign nationals who visited the red listed countries. New Zealand has also barred entry of passengers from India, including Kiwis, during April 11-28 period, while Hong Kong has barred passenger aircraft from India for 14 days from Tuesday after concern over Indian mutant. Oman has also directed its citizens not to travel to India unless absolutely necessary.

“The flying hours of airlines from here have dropped considerably. The passenger load factor of many airlines operating between West Asia and Indian states including Kerala dropped around 25-30 per cent. Since most of the airlines have sold a good number of tickets in advance anticipating a good passenger movement in the summer schedule, the airlines are not in a position to cancel the schedule as they will have to refund the ticket. Otherwise, a good number of aircraft would have been grounded by this time,” said an Air India Express officer.

21/04/21 Dhinesh Kallungal/New Indian Express

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Pilots association urges DGCA to suspend breath analyser test amid Covid threat

Mumbai: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Thursday urged aviation regulator DGCA to temporarily suspend breath analyser (BA) tests for aviation personnel with immediate effect to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

The FIP claims to represent around 5,000 pilots.

In a letter to Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Arun Kumar, the FIP said that these testing machines are often used on multiple individuals, some of whom may be infected without showing any symptoms.

During the pandemic last year also, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had temporarily suspended BA tests for all aviation personnel due to similar concerns.

"In the light of the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases nationwide, it is requested that Breath Alcohol Tests for aviation personnel are temporarily suspended across your jurisdiction, with immediate effect, to prevent the spread of infection - as was done by your office last year during the onset of the first wave of the pandemic,” FIP president Surinder Mehta said in the letter.

The copies of the letter have also been marked to civil aviation minister, secretary, civil aviation, and ministry of health as well as director general, ICMR, among others.

As per the rules, all aviation personnel such as pilots, ground handling staff and air traffic controllers have to undergo breath analyser (BA) tests from time to time.

The test is conducted by blowing into a tube to ensure the crew has not consumed alcohol.

The FIP said that some of the factors that could aggravate the Covid-related risks include viability of the coronavirus on BA testing equipment, each of which are often used on multiple individuals, and many of whom could now be asymptomatically infected.

22/04/21 PTI/Times of India

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India inflight meal ban minimizes mask removal, ancillary revenues

The aggressive resurgence of COVID-19 in India has pushed back aviation industry recovery in the region, and removed an ancillary revenue stream for some Indian operators.

To help tackle the surge in COVID-19 cases, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation on 15 April 2021 banned airlines from serving food on flights under two hours in length.

Last May, when an initial lockdown was lifted, airlines were permitted to serve food with some restrictions. The current ban aims to minimize mask removal by passengers.

Domestic flights of over two hours have staggered catering. And inflight announcements are being made to ensure passengers are aware of the guidelines. International flights are not included.

Yet, on international flights — in all classes — plates and cutlery are to be disposable “with no re-use, cleaned and disinfected rotables”, cautioned the ministry’s notice. The crew also wear a fresh set of gloves for every meal or beverage service.

The ministry’s decision has been applauded by Dr. SCL Gupta, managing director of one of Delhi’s leading hospitals, Batra Hospital and Medical Research Center. He notes that not everybody wears a mask, even though mandated on board, so the risk of contracting the virus becomes higher. He believes that middle seats should be blocked “though the distance between the aisle and window is (still) not good enough for social distancing”.

Frequent traveler Vishok Mansingh confirms that some passengers do not want to comply with wearing a mask. “Some people are very undisciplined, walking around the cabin without masks. This is scary.”

He believes the ban on serving food on short-haul flights is a good idea and could even be strengthened to include longer flights. The Bangalore-Srinagar flight, as operated by Vistara, is under three and a half hours. “Surely people can exist without food for that long,” he opines.

20/04/21  Neelam Mathews/Runway Girl Network

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7.82 mn domestic air passengers in March, slightly lower than Feb: DGCA

Around 78.22 lakh domestic passengers travelled by air in March, which is slightly lower than 78.27 lakh who travelled in February, Indian aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 77.34 lakh people travelled by air within the country in January.

While IndiGo carried 41.85 lakh passengers in March, a 54 per cent share of the total domestic market, SpiceJet flew 10.03 lakh passengers, which is 12.8 per cent share of the market, according to data shared by the DGCA.

Air India, GoAir, Vistara and AirAsia India carried 9.17 lakh, 6.12 lakh, 5 lakh and 5.42 lakh passengers respectively in March, it showed.

The occupancy rate or load factor of the six major Indian airlines was between 64.5 per cent and 76.5 per cent in March, it stated.

"The passenger load factor in the month of March 2021 has shown increasing trend compared to previous month primarily due to beginning of tourist season," the DGCA said.

The occupancy rate at SpiceJet was 76.5 per cent in March, the regulator noted.

The occupancy rates for IndiGo, Vistara, GoAir, Air India and AirAsia India were 66.4 per cent, 64.5 per cent, 71.5 per cent, 70.6 per cent and 65.1 per cent respectively, according to the DGCA.

GoAir and SpiceJet were at number two and three positions at these four airports in March with 95.8 per cent and 92.2 per cent on-time performance respectively, the regulator said.

20/04/21 PTI/Business Standard

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COVID-19 Second Wave Stalls Indian Aviation Industry's Hope for Recovery During Summer Schedule

COVID-19’s second wave in India has cast a dark shadow on the Indian aviation sector. Airlines were looking at a good summer recovery but the rising number of cases and the consequent restrictions, curfews have led to a sharp decline in passenger traffic. Industry experts believe the coming weeks could be a big setback to airlines which had just about started a gradual journey to pre-Covid numbers.

Air Vistara feels good that this time around, at least, there’s no shutdown of aviation operations like last time, but recovery to pre-Covid numbers has been delayed.

“We have had a setback in the last few days if not weeks considering the rising number of cases in the country have seen a decline. However we do recognise that air travel is very safe, it is something that we are very confident about. Air travel is still permitted and we are thankful to the ministry and the govt for this. We saw growth through January and February and we were looking at going back to pre-Covid numbers this summer, but it may not materialise because of the second wave,” said Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer, Air Vistara.

In a meeting with Ministry of Civil Aviation last week, airlines urged the government for a financial assistance package for the aviation sector. There has been no financial aid from the govt for airlines since the pandemic began last year.

India’s daily domestic passenger traffic is now below 2,00,000 for the first time since November, 2020. Industry sources say bookings are down by at least 50% and some airlines are bleeding. The present 80% cap on domestic flights is unlikely to be extended to 100% and could be brought down to 60% due to fall in demand amidst rising Covid cases. Sources say most airlines asked for the cap to be reduced instead of being increased to full capacity.

20/04/21 News18.com

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Aviation regulator warns airlines of predatory pricing

The aviation regulator has warned airlines not to indulge in predatory pricing to prop up air travel hit by the second wave of the coronavirus.

Officials of the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) said they would intervene if airlines were selling tickets lower or higher than the fare cap in place till the end of this month.

In their meeting with the civil aviation ministry, airline representatives complained that some airlines were selling tickets below the minimum cap, thereby engaging in predatory pricing to prop up passenger load.

After touching a high of about 300,000 in February, daily passenger traffic has fallen below the 200,000-mark on account of a renewed surge in Covid-19 cases, necessitating several states to make the RT-PCR test for passengers mandatory, leading to decline in bookings. The daily passenger traffic before the pandemic was 400,000-450,000.

In February, the government had increased the minimum and maximum fares that airlines can charge in the domestic sector by 10 to 30 per cent, while extending the cap on airfare.

The government has set a price band for airfares since May. The increase is in the region of 10 per cent for a one-way fare at the minimum fare level for a flight of less than 40 minutes to about 30 per cent for a maximum fare for a flight of between 180 minutes and 210 minutes.

Rating agency Crisil said the industry would post Rs 9,500-10,000 crore losses this fiscal, though it will be lower by 35-40 per cent compared with the previous year.

Crisil said air traffic would continue to remain low amid high fuel prices and only a gradual recovery in international operations.

20/04/21 Telegraph

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JRD Tata – The First Person To Obtain A Commercial Pilot License In India

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was behind some of the most ambitious ventures across numerous Indian industries in the 20th century. His business impact can even be felt across the country today. However, the entrepreneur was also a skilled aviator. Not only is he regarded as the father of civil aviation in India, but he was also the first person to obtain a commercial pilot license in the nation.

Read more about the legend >>

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The time when India had dancing elephant helicopters

On January 26, soldiers marched along the Rajpath Boulevard, tanks rumbled by, and trucks carried performers showcasing all kinds of impressive stunts. There were few surprises until an unexpected guest appeared.

A flying elephant.

It was one of the helicopters belonging to IAF Helicopter Unit No. 116. According to some accounts, the unit was still equipped with original French Alouette IIIs, which could, in theory, mean it was the late 1960s. The entire body of the aircraft was covered in richly decorated textiles, complete with four hollow ‘legs’, two massive ‘ears’, a pair of ‘tusks’, and a massive ‘trunk’.

Read more of India's elephant helicopters >>

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Safran plans to open expanded facility in Hyderabad this year

Hyderabad: French aerospace and defence multinational Safran plans to inaugurate its expanded aircraft engines facility in Hyderabad in the third quarter of 2021.

A leadership team headed by Safran Chairman Ross McInnes called on Telangana’s Industry Minister K.T. Rama Rao here on Friday.

The team also included Safran’s Senior EVP International & Public Affairs Alexandre Ziegler and Safran India MD Pierre Dickeli.

In February 2019, Safran had announced that it will set up a plant here with an investment of 36 million euros to make parts for the LEAP turbofan engine for CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran.

The plant, spread over 13,000 square metres, is coming up in the special economic zone (SEZ) of GMR near the Hyderabad Airport.

The plant will eventually have a workforce of 300, Safran had said in a statement. When the plant hits cruise speed in 2023, it will be able to deliver 15,000 parts per year to support the sustained production rate of LEAP, the fastest selling aircraft engine.

17/04/21 The Rahnuma Daily

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Government Contemplates Reducing Seating Capacity in Domestic Flights

India has already surpassed Brazil in the cumulative number confirmed of coronavirus cases and is now the second worst-hit country globally after the United States. The cases registered by the states are on a continuous hike and hitting record highs almost daily. Amid this serious situation, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is planning to reduce the capacity utilisation of domestic airlines to 60 percent from the current 80 percent in order to curb the spread of the virus.

According to a report by Moneycontrol,which cited a source saying that top officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of Indiaand the Civil Aviation Ministry may hold a meeting next week to come out with a decision in this regard. They are looking at both the safetyand the financial fair play angle before coming to a conclusionon reducing capacity utilisation in domestic flights.

Observing the increasing Covid-19 infections and seriousness of the issue, several states have already imposed regional lockdowns, curfews and other major curbs. These steps have also impacted the domestic passenger traffic in the last few weeks. Daily air passenger traffic has fallen below the 2,00,000 mark after touching a high of about 3,00,000 in February.

Airline representatives have sought financial assistance from the Centre in a meeting which was held earlier this week with Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola in order to deal with the second wave of coronavirus in the country. The representatives also requested to reduce in-flight capacity to 60 percent as the bookings have reduced by about 50 percent. The request to lower domestic passenger operational capacity is made for maintaining the status quo in market share.

17/04/21 News18.com

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Govt Lowers Jet Fuel Prices By 1%

Jet fuel price on Friday was cut by one per cent, the second reduction in rates this month following softening international crude oil prices.

Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was reduced by Rs 568.88 per kilolitre, or 0.9 per cent, to Rs 57,805.28 per kilolitre in the national capital, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

This is the second reduction in rates this month. Earlier, prices were cut by three per cent on 1st April. These price cuts were the first in six months.

16/04/21 PTI/Outlook

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Covid surge: Airlines start waiving off change fees on domestic bookings till month-end

New Delhi: Airlines have started waiving change fees for domestic flights as soaring Covid cases and ever-changing entry requirements of different states are leading people to postpone their earlier planned trips.

IndiGo — which accounts for one in every two domestic flyers — has waived off change fees on new bookings made from April 17-30, 2021 and is allowing passengers to make unlimited changes for new bookings made till this month-end on regular fares under this offer.

However, there is no change in the cancellation fee, and that will be chargeable.

Air India is giving one free change on domestic tickets till April 30, 2021, with the travel change allowed being to date, flight number or sector.

AI says it is allowing this “in view of continually changing Covid measures adopted by different state governments to contain the pandemic, the travelling public is faced with many uncertainties.”

16/04/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Domestic airlines may cut losses to Rs 10,000 crore this fiscal: Report

Mumbai: Lower domestic air traffic compared with pre-pandemic level coupled with high fuel prices and only a gradual recovery in international operations may lead to domestic airlines posting around Rs 9,500-10,000 crore losses this fiscal, ratings agency Crisil said on Thursday.

These losses, however, will still be 35-40 per cent lower compared to Rs 14,000-15,000 crore estimated losses in the previous financial year, CRISIL Ratings said.

The indicative losses are based on a study of the top three airlines, which account for around 78 per cent of total passenger traffic, it said.

A 25-30 per cent increase in debt (excluding lease liabilities) last fiscal and continuing net losses in the current fiscal will keep their balance sheets under pressure, the ratings agency said, adding high leverage will also result in continued negative outlook for the sector.

Noting that a resurgence of Covid-19 infections across the country, especially in Mumbai and Delhi, which account for 36 per cent of the overall air traffic, is expected to stall the recovery seen over the past six months, the ratings agency said, the average daily domestic passenger air traffic has fallen in April by almost 20 per cent to around 2.35 lakh compared to February this year.

Domestic traffic, which accounts for around 75 per cent of airline revenues, is expected to surge 120-130 per cent this fiscal on a low base (68 per cent decline in fiscal 2021), though it will still be significantly lower at around 70 per cent of FY 2020 level.

"Domestic traffic fell 85 per cent in the first half of last fiscal due to lockdowns and restrictions on operations.

Despite the second wave-induced fresh curbs, which will temper recovery, domestic traffic in the first half of this fiscal is likely to be 3.5-4 times higher on-year, on a low base.

"The second half should see good recovery in traffic, supported by acceleration in the vaccination drive and people gradually taking to travel after prolonged stay at home," said Gautam Shahi, Director, CRISIL Ratings.

A gradual recovery in international operations in the second half of fiscal 2022 will also boost traffic, he added.

15/04/21 New Indian Express

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Next couple of weeks going to be tough for aviation, says Vistara CCO

Vinod Kannan, chief commercial officer at Vistara, in an interview with CNCB-TV18's Anu Sharma, said, "It's going to be a tough couple of weeks hereon."

Kannan said that the airline is currently operating up to 140 flights daily compared to 160 that it was operating in February. He added that Vistara's network planners were working on a daily basis now. Earlier, they would do planning on a monthly basis.

14/04/21 CNBC TV18

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Airlines gain altitude, but will fly into losses this fiscal, too

New Delhi: Domestic airlines are expected to log net losses in FY22 on the back of lower domestic air traffic compared with pre-pandemic levels, together with high fuel prices, ratings agency Crisil said.

However, the agency said that these net losses will be 35-40 per cent below the ones reported for fiscal 2021 mark at Rs 9,500- Rs 10,000 crore.

A Crisil Ratings study of the top three airlines, which account for 78 per cent of total passenger traffic, noted: "A resurgence of Covid-19 infections across the country -- especially in Mumbai and Delhi, which account for 36 per cent of overall air traffic - is expected to stall the recovery seen over the past six months."

"In fact, average daily domestic passenger air traffic has fallen in April by almost 20 per cent to 2.35 lakh compared to February 2021."

Nonetheless, it said that domestic traffic, which accounts for 75 per cent of airline revenues, is expected to surge 120-130 per cent this fiscal on a low base though it will still be significantly lower at 70 per cent of fiscal 2020 level.

"Domestic traffic fell 85 per cent in the first half of last fiscal due to lockdowns and restrictions on operations," said Gautam Shahi, Director, Crisil Ratings.

"Despite the second wave-induced fresh curbs, which will temper recovery, domestic traffic in the first half of this fiscal is likely to be 3.5-4 times higher on-year, on a low base. The second half should see good recovery in traffic, supported by acceleration in the vaccination drive and people gradually taking to travel after prolonged stay at home."

Besides, a gradual recovery in international operations in the second half of fiscal 2022 will also boost traffic, it said.

15/04/21 IANS/Daijiworld

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Covid surge hits air travel, so carriers turn to govt for financial help, lower capacity limit

New Delhi: The surge in Covid-19 cases in India hit a new high Thursday with over two lakh cases — the highest in a day since the pandemic began last year. And this new wave of infections is proving to be another big hurdle on the road to recovery for India’s beleaguered aviation industry.

ThePrint has learnt from sources in the Ministry of Civil Aviation that airlines have requested it for financial support, but a decision is yet to be taken. Some airlines have also expressed the desire to reduce the capacity limits from 80 per cent to 60 per cent, but there is no consensus on this latter point, sources said.

India’s domestic air traffic had reduced from 10.8 crore passengers between April to December 2019 to three crore in the corresponding period of 2020, while the number of international passengers dropped from 5.21 crore in April-December 2019 to just 55.9 lakh in the same period of 2020. This led to losses of Rs 16,000 crore for Indian carriers, while airports lost approximately Rs 3,000 crore, according to the government’s answer to a question raised in the Lok Sabha.

But now, barely a month after leading airlines like Vistara, SpiceJet and IndiGo had begun rebuilding by expanding their fleet, introducing new routes and hiring more staff, passenger loads have begun to drop again due to the fresh wave of Covid infections.

Several states have announced different kinds of measures like lockdowns, night curfews and mandatory RT-PCR tests within 72 hours of arrival, leading to a drop in air traffic over the last two weeks. Airlines are witnessing a 20-50 per cent drop in bookings.

Usha Padhee, joint secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said: “Passenger load factors are badly impacted and domestic airlines are finding it difficult to maintain their frequency of flights. During peak, we had passenger numbers of 20 lakh per week. Last week, it was 15 lakh passengers per week,”

A Vistara spokesperson confirmed: “Due to a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases and implementation of several measures by various states, we are witnessing a decline in demand and passenger traffic.”

15/04/21 Taran Deol/Print

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Airlines not to serve meal on domestic flights under 2 hours from today

Airlines will not serve meals on flights that have a duration of fewer than two hours in the wake of a spike in coronavirus cases in India, the April-12 directive issued by the civil aviation ministry will come into force from today. There are no curbs on inflight meals on international flights and domestic flights longer than two hours, but the meals' servicing will be staggered among adjoining seats, the order added.

The ministry had permitted the airlines to serve in-flight meals under certain conditions when scheduled domestic flights were resumed on May 25 following the COVID-19 lockdown last year. Modifying the earlier order, the ministry's fresh directive said, "The airlines, operating flights on domestic sectors, may provide meals services on board, where the in-flight duration is two hours or more."

15/04/21 Business Today

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Airlines caught in double whammy as passenger count drops below 2 lakh mark

Is it the virus or is it the expensive floor price? It could well be a mix of both. With the govt making it clear that the cap on capacity for airlines will be increased only when the numbers cross 3.5 lakh per day - three times a month, it’s going to be tougher days ahead for carriers.

Read Ameya Joshi's analysis >>

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Boeing partners with Indian Aviation Academy, USC for training program

Thursday said it has partnered with the Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) and the University of Southern California (USC) for safety management system training to all stakeholders in the domestic aviation industry. 

 Commercial aircraft operators, airports and air traffic services are required to have a Safety Management System (SMS), as per International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requirement. 

It is considered a best practice to provide a framework for hazard identification, risk mitigation and promotion of a positive safety culture, Boeing said in a release. Boeing is adopting these practices as it implements an enterprise SMS to support its commitment to the highest levels of safety and quality with its products and services. 

 "As part of our continued commitment to safety, we are collaborating with India's civil aviation stakeholders to promote a collaborative safety culture. We have partnered with IAA and USC to introduce the Safety Management System program to India," Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India, said. 

This is the first of a series of trainings that Boeing plans to organise for India's aviation ecosystem towards continued learning of best practices, the company said. The USC-IAA program for India's civil aviation authorities focuses on modern safety management and safety assurance concepts such as risk management, root cause analysis, audits, data collection and incident investigations to further enhance the safety, eiffciency, and reliability of the country's aviation ecosystem.

15/04/21 PTI/Economic Times

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Airlines seek financial assistance and capacity reduction amid demand slump

New Delhi:  Witnessing a slump in the number of air passengers once again amid a sharp spike in daily cases, many private airlines have asked the government to reduce the capacity allowed (the number of flights that an airline is scheduled to fly) from 80 per cent of the pre-Covid level to 60 per cent. Moreover, they have also sought financial assistance.

These requests were made during a meeting with aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola on Tuesday.

Domestic airlines were allowed to operate flights after two months of lockdown on May 25 at one-third capacity of their summer schedule. This limit was then revised to 45 per cent flight capacity on June 26, further expanded to 60 per cent and then 80 per cent.

However, the exponential rise in cases in recent weeks has impacted the demand, which dropped by nearly 13 per cent in the last week of March compared to the previous month. The domestic traffic witnessed further jolt in April and demand fell by 5 per cent from the last week’s average of March. An industry expert said the second wave has resulted in a lower number of bookings, reflecting the panic and fear among people. 

The situation is likely to continue for next few weeks, with the authorities imposing restrictions and curfews in most parts of the country.

14/04/21 Kumar Vikram/New Indian Express

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Covid second wave delays recovery of aviation sector in India

The Indian aviation will have to wait longer to reach pre-Covid levels of operations as the second wave of Coronavirus threatens to derail the gains made by the sector over the past few months with flyer confidence tanking again resulting in sharp drop in demand in the past couple of weeks.

As per industry estimates, demand for flying dropped by 13 per cent to 246,600 passengers in the last week of March 2021 (v/s the last week of February, 2021—when the peak was recorded), resulting in no month-on-month (MOM) improvement in traffic (still down 37 per cent to pre-Covid levels).

In April, 2021, demand further fell by 5 per cent from the last week's average of March, 3021 to 233,000 passengers per day, clearly indicating that flying is again getting out of fashion over concerns on the pandemic.

Moreover, the situation is also impacting yields for airlines. As per airfare tracker of Motilal Oswal Financial Services, yields in March increased by 2-5 per cent MoM, but down 13- 14 per cent QoQ in 4QFY21. This is despite the upward revisions in the floor of airfare bands in February, 2021 by 10 per cent and again in March by 5 per cent.

A spike in crude oil prices during 4QFY21 has further added to the negative sentiment, the brokerage said.

The sliding graph of air travel has again pushed airlines to seek government approval to lower capacity from present mandated 80 per cent to about 50-60 per cent, the same that operated during the early part of opening of sector post lockdown last year.

"Currently, around one-third of total states in India have imposed further lockdowns/restrictions - but operations in the sector have not been curbed. We keep our assumptions unchanged for now, with estimates of traffic recovering to pre-Covid levels by end of 3QFY22E. We reiterate our neutral stance on INDIGO - with the possibility of further delays in the recovery to pre-Covid levels," the Motilal Oswal report on aviation sector with focus around Indigo airlines said.

On a positive note, the report said that the pace of Covid vaccination drive would have positive impact on air travel and airlines as it will increase in confidence of flyers and increase travel demand.

To put this into perspective, around three months after the start of vaccinations in the US (32 per cent of the US population has received at least one vaccine dose): demand for domestic travel improved to 66 per cent of pre-Covid levels (from 39 per cent in Jan'21).

Demand for international travel is gradually improving (at 32 per cent of pre-Covid levels v/s 16 per cent in Jan'21). For now, tickets are mostly being sold to leisure destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Recovery of international traffic is still contingent on the situation in other countries.

For India, only 16 per cent of international inbound and outbound passengers are from the US and Europe, while the majority are from developing nations, where achieving  70 per cent vaccination may take some more time than developed nations, further delaying demand recovery in India, the brokerage said. 

14/04/21 Tribune

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Telangana ready for aviation MRO boom

Hyderabad: Telangana, which has been the frontrunner in aviation, aerospace and defence sectors, sees growth opportunities in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) space. The State is preparing for an MRO boom in the growing Indian industry and a global market that is valued at $65 billion. Not only to India, MROs set up in the State can effectively serve the Middle East and Southeast Asian regions as well, said an official.

There are already two large airframe MROs in the State -GMR Aero Technic and Air India Engineering Services located in GMR Aerospace Park adjacent to Hyderabad International Airport. Begumpet Airport has also been identified by the Airports Authority of India to set-up an MRO hub, which will further boost the ecosystem.

Telangana is now keen to support aero engine MROs, given the significant presence of engine manufacturing and training facilities of leading global aero engine OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in the State. Telangana hosts the only engine training centres in India for both CFM and Pratt & Whitney. Aero engine manufacturers GE and Safran have already established state-of-the-art aero engine factories in Hyderabad.

“Telangana has become the most vibrant aerospace hub in the country in the last five years. This has come from adopting a focused approach from policy perspective, as well as developing dedicated infrastructure and providing the right skilling for the industry, which has brought in several foreign OEMs as well as the leading Indian players such as Tata, Adani and Kalyani etc to set up their manufacturing plants in Hyderabad,” said Praveen P A, director, Aerospace & Defence, Government of Telangana, who highlighted the State’s strengths in the MRO sector in the recently held Aero-MRO 2021 summit.

“Telangana has multiple aerospace parks. We have two aerospace special economic zones, where Boeing Apache and Chinooks and Lockheed’s helicopter cabins and F-16 Wings are being built. GE (along with Tata) has set up an aero engine manufacturing facility at Adibatla while Safran has set up an aero engine facility at GMR Aerospace Park. Over 1,000 auxiliary operators today support the industry, in the State” he added.

The State is on a drive to further augment the current ecosystem and support industry players to come together and tap the emerging opportunities in Aerospace and MRO. “We are moving in that direction,” Praveen asserted.

14/04/21 Y V Phani Raj/Telangana Today

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Ensure no airline sells domestic tickets below minimum fare of price band: Airlines to Centre

New Delhi: Don’t sell domestic tickets below the minimum fare band and keep the cap at 80% of pre-Covid levels for flights within the country for now. With bookings down by half already so far during the ongoing Civid surge, the CEOs of Indian carriers held a virtual meeting with aviation secretary P S Kharola on Monday to send these SOS messages. An extremely vulnerable private airline has been seeking lowering of cap on domestic flights to at least 60% and has sought financial assistance to survive the second wave.

“Airlines have been often selling tickets to travel agencies / portals (business to business or B2B) at rates lower than the minimum fares prescribed by the government. These B2B fares are not made public but this has been happening. Airlines sought strict DGCA monitoring to ensure airlines don’t sell domestic tickets below fare band even on B2B mode,” said people aware of what transpired at the meeting.

Some financial weak airlines — which almost every carrier except IndiGo with its own cash reserves or the Tata JVs and Wadia Group’s GoAir that have strong backing — are sought a financial assistance package from the government to survive the second wave. “There has been absolutely no financial assistance from government for airlines since Covid outbreak last year,” said an airline official.

13/04/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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No in-flight meals on domestic flights under 2-hour duration, government orders airlines

New Delhi: The government on Monday directed airlines to serve or sell in-flight meals from Thursday (April 15) only on those domestic flights that have a duration of over two hours, in wake of the sharp surge in Covid-19 cases in India.

However, there are no restrictions on inflight meals on international flights as of now.

The decision comes amid fears that passengers taking off masks to eat may lead to spread of the virus. While inflight meals can’t be avoided on medium or long hauls, the restriction has been imposed on domestic flights of up to two-hour duration for now.

A senior aviation ministry official said: “We had (last year) issued guidelines for in-flight meals and they have worked well. However, as an abundant precaution, additional provisions are being made. For domestic flights, an order is issued to consider in-flight meal when flight duration is two hours or more.”

The inflight meal SOP also calls for staggering them “among adjacent seats, as far as possible.” “These provisions will be reviewed on a regular basis and necessary modification carried out on the basis of experts’ inputs,” says the order issued by ministry joint secretary Usha Padhee.

Meanwhile, the surge in cases has prompted Air India to opt for 100% pre-flight testing for crew operating nonstops to US, UK, Canada and Australia. The Maharaja has also started post-flight testing for crew on flights from UAE, UK and Europe.

Since resumption of domestic flights from May last year, Air India was giving its pilots hotel stay with meals to ensure they don’t need to leave the hotel or their room.

Last month, the airline switched over to bed and breakfast for crew members as the Covid situation was improving.

12/04/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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India's Airline operators fear repeat of 2020 situation as Govt ponders ban on in-flight meals

As if the second wave of the pandemic was not enough for the already paranoid travel and hospitality sector, the recent ruling by the government has given it a further blow. Desperate times, desperate measures and what's got to be done, has got to be done.

Government of India orders airlines to ban in-flight meals as a part of several other norms that come into effect from April 15. That's one more source of revenue struck down completely for the airlines. The new norms are an attempt at curbing the rising cases of coronavirus as the country battles the second wave of infection.

ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) had raised objections to meals being served on board because that leads to passengers removing masks while having their meals. The fresh order also stated that for flights with a duration of more than 2 hours, the meals will be staggered among adjacent seats.

The order issued dated April 12, further says, "In all classes, tray cutlery will be completely disposable...tea/coffee/beverage should be served in disposable containers and glass...and the crew should wear a fresh set of gloves for every meal/beverage service."

Fearing a repeat of 2020, the airline industry is worried about the repetition of pandemic this year too. The aviation sector worldwide is battling a severe economic crunch amidst the restricted travel. The second wave of infection grips the nation at a time, what would otherwise be, the start of holiday and travel season.

It was only two weeks ago that many airlines decided to roll back the salary cuts, partly encouraged by a low but steady influx of tourists and travellers. But the rising cases, record number of infections running consistently in six digit figures has halted any recovery plans for the industry.

12/04/21  Manpriya Khurana/International Business Times

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Taking a Flight Amid Second Wave of COVID-19? Check State-wise Restrictions, Rules on Testing And Quarantine

New Delhi: Since India is facing the second wave of coronavirus, several states have imposed restrictions on the movement, gathering of people in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19. While many states have made negative RT-PCR report mandatory, some may ask you to undergo a COVID-19 test upon arrival. Here is  a list of guidelines for people travelling across states >>

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Indian market leads global aviation recovery, will create 90,000 more jobs by 2030, says Boeing

The Indian aviation market is leading the global recovery, having reached 76 percent of pre-pandemic levels, whereas the world average is at 58 percent.

The data, aircraft manufacturer Boeing said in its India outlook, is based on traffic till April 5.

"India domestic traffic is quickly approaching early 2020 or 'normal' levels," David Schulte, managing director of Regional Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said on April 7.

At the same time, Schulte agreed that the recent surge in cases in some of the key domestic markets, including Maharashtra and Delhi, need to be tracked for possible impact.

Air travel bookings have taken a 15 percent hit in the last couple of week amid a surge in reported COVID-19 infections and fresh restrictions on travel and business.

Despite the short term worries, the medium and long-term outlook are bright for the Indian aviation market, Boeing said. "India's domestic market is the third largest in the world, with largest 20 year GDP growth forecast," the US giant said.  This will fuel demand for more than 2,200 new jets valued at nearly $320 billion over the next 20 years, it added.

After dominating much of the Indian market, Boeing has given way to its arch rival Airbus, which has IndiGo as one of its biggest clients. India's largest airline also has the biggest order book.

The outlook made four main points on the Indian market:

In India, single-aisle airplanes will continue to serve growth in domestic as well as regional markets. Indian operators will need 1,960 new single-aisle airplanes over the next 20 years.

To meet long-term demand for long-haul connectivity, especially to North America and Europe, Boeing forecasts a 20-year market for 260 new widebody airplanes.

India air cargo growth is expected to average 6.3 percent annually over the next 20 years.

India’s civil aviation industry will require nearly 90,000 new pilots, technicians and cabin crew personnel during the 20-year forecast period, with a growing number of women choosing to pursue aviation careers.

08/04/21 Moneycontrol.com

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BJP drives chartered flight traffic

Calcutta: This election, the city airport has handled the highest number of chartered planes and helicopters compared with any other elections in Bengal and nine out of 10 of those were hired by the BJP, officials at the airport said.

In March, the airport had handled 140 chartered planes and helicopters, said officials. Around 30 per cent of them were helicopters and the rest were aircraft with five to 15 seats. The choppers used were mostly five-seater. 

“Most of the chartered planes and helicopters were hired by political parties. Only a few were used for non-poll purposes like air ambulances,” said an official.

At least two officials working for more than 25 years at the airport said they had never seen so many chartered planes and helicopters ferrying political leaders to and from Calcutta during any election. 

The state BJP has formed a six-member team to coordinate the operation of these planes and helicopters. Leaders of the party said this was the first time such a team has been formed because so many leaders from outside were coming to campaign in Bengal. 

“This March we handled 140 chartered planes and helicopters and 90 per cent of those were used by BJP leaders. The chartered planes were mostly used to fly leaders from Delhi to Calcutta and the helicopters were used to ferry them to districts,” said an official at the airport. 

Airport sources said the leaders who used chartered planes and choppers included Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP president J.P. Nadda, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Smriti Irani. 

Some local leaders, too, flew to districts on helicopters to campaign.

Among leaders of other parties, Bengal Pradesh Congress president and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury, has flown on a chartered plane once to campaign for the ongoing elections, said airport sources. Among Trinamul Congress leaders, the sources said, only chief minister Mamata Banerjee has flown on hired helicopters to campaign.

08/04/21 Sanjay Mandal, Arkamoy Datta Majumdar/Telegraph

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'Give pilots across all age groups priority for Covid jabs'

New Delhi: An association representing over 5,000 pilots in India has urged the government to consider them — across age groups and not just above 45 — as frontline workers for Covid for priority vaccination.

Expressing “disappointment” at being left out from this category despite being in the forefront of the Covid battle from Day One, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Thursday wrote to Union health ministry requesting that “commercial pilots in all age groups in India be categorised frontline workers so that they may be given priority and unrestricted voluntary access to Covid vaccines.”

"Many pilots have been detected Covid positive in the line of duty ... some (pilots) have lost there lives or loved ones … while many categories of workers have been categorised frontline, commercial pilots of India have been left out,” FIP president, Captain Surinder Mehta, says in his letter to the government.

FIP has pointed out that crew not being vaccinated “does not augur well for passenger confidence (something) that could further weaken financial condition of the sector.”

FIP represents pilots of Indian commercial airlines, regional and non-scheduled operators and private jets.

08/04/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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How the second Covid-19 wave could mar the summer of recovery for airlines

New Delhi: Last Sunday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was meeting top bureaucrats over rising Covid cases, chief executive of a private airline asked his head of operations to prepare for a sudden grounding of operations.

Just a month ago, the CEO had met investors and the talk revolved around a total recovery and bright future of Indian aviation. He’s back to plugging daily cash burn.

Within two weeks of many airlines deciding to roll back salary cuts encouraged by a steady increase in traffic flow, a second wave of coronavirus along with rules of compulsory RT-PCR test has hit forward bookings. The fears of last summer, when the pandemic had overturned all the wisdom of airline boardrooms, have returned to haunt the aviation industry.

According to an official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, flight occupancy is down to 60 per cent from 70 per cent in the first week of March. Airline lobby group IATA estimates that low cost airlines need to fly at 80 per cent occupancy to be profitable.

“The rising number of cases has certainly deferred a recovery. But with increasing vaccination drive, I expect a total recovery in six to eight months,” said Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) head Arun Kumar.

With caution in the air, airlines are reviewing their plans on aircraft deliveries and in some cases deferring fresh induction of aircraft. “SpiceJet and AirAsia together were supposed to bring in eight new aircraft by the end of May. Those are in cold storage now as airlines are unsure on what demand will look like a month later,” a person in know said.

08/04/21 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

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Four domestic flyers refused to follow Covid norms so far this month, facing action

New Delhi: Four travellers so far this month have refused to wear masks properly onboard aircraft despite warnings and now stare at the prospect of being barred from flying for anywhere up to three months under the unruly flyer norms. Coupled with 15 cases last month, airlines  have now initiated action against 19 domestic passengers for violating Covid norms on flights between March 15 and April 5, 2021.

All the four Covid violations so far this month have been reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation  by IndiGo. These passengers, one each on — Chennai-Delhi of last Thursday (April 1); Delhi-Chandigarh (April 2); Bengaluru-Kolkata (April 4) and Varanasi-Delhi (April 5) — were handed over to security agencies on landing at the destination.

Of the 19 Covid violators so far since March 15, 13 refused to follow Covid norms on as many IndiGo domestic flights; four on an Alliance Air and two on an AirAsia India flight. While three passengers

were taken off the aircraft before take off, all the others were handed over to security agencies and cases registered against them on arrival at destination.

Following a Delhi high court order, the aviation regulator has ordered security agencies not to allow airport entry to passengers not wearing masks; asked airlines to deboard passengers who refuse to wear masks properly before take off and begin action under unruly flyer rules for those do not wear a mask properly inflight.

Under DGCA’s unruly flyer norms, the airline on whose flight disruptive behaviour took place can put a person on no fly list for certain time as per the gravity of his or her safety violation after following a due process. During this period this person cannot

fly that airline. Other carriers are free to bar that unruly person from flying on them too for the same period. So far whenever Indian airlines have taken such action against someone deemed unruly, they all have collectively barred the person for flying for some time.

Last October, IndiGo had barred nine electronic media personnel from flying for a fortnight after they violated Covid norms like not maintaining social distancing and not wearing masks while covering actress Kangana Ranaut’s journey from Chandigarh to Mumbai last September.

08/04/21 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Almost half of Indians eager to resume international travel: Amadeus

Bengaluru: Almost half of the Indian’s are willing to travel abroad within six weeks of all restrictions being lifted post the pandemic, a survey by travel technology company Amadeus showed, highlighting the importance of foreign travel in the itinerary of the people who can afford it.

The study, which included 1,000 Indians, also showed that 93% of Indian travelers would be comfortable using a digital health passport for future trips as the appetite to travel remains high. 79% of Indian travelers would be willing to store their travel health data electronically if it meant it will enable them to travel sooner, and if it enabled them to pass through the airport faster with less face-to-face interactions with others.

“As businesses navigate out of the global pandemic, the future of travel looks optimistic. This study offers a clear roadmap for the industry, by acknowledging the appetite for technologies that can address the concerns of travellers, whether it is better access to information or reducing physical proximity,” Mani Ganeshan, head of R&D, APAC, Amadeus, said.

The survey consisted of 9,055 respondents who travelled abroad in the last 18 months in countries such as France, Spain, Germany, UK, India, Singapore and was conducted at the end of February. So the latest surge in the Covid cases, which are all but certain to push back chances of regular commercial flights commencing anytime soon, is not accounted for.

Over half of Indian travelers (53%) would be comfortable using a digital passport if it was accepted by most countries and was regulated as per international standards but the usage of that among the younger generation is expected to be low as many are worried about data security risks and lack of transparency and control over how and where their data will be shared.

08/04/21 Avik Das/Times of India

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Domestic passenger traffic dips after fresh COVID-19 restrictions in states

Domestic air passenger traffic has dipped after several state governments and UTs imposed fresh restrictions due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country.

While night curfew has been in place in several states since the first week of April, some states have implemented stricter norms and some have issued advisories for the public in view of the steep rise in COVID-19 cases. On April 6, senior government officials told reporters that the next four weeks are very critical with respect to the COVID-19 situation in India.

Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu are among the latest states to impose fresh restrictions and night curfew.

In Maharashtra, a night curfew is now in place since April 5 across the state from 8 pm to 7 am. On weekends, a complete lockdown (8 pm on Friday to 7 am on Monday) has also been imposed. It is important to note that Mumbai is the second busiest airport in the country after Delhi. Hence, fresh state restrictions amid a surge in cases in Maharashtra are likely to impact air traffic in the near term, industry experts said.

The domestic air passenger traffic on April 6 was over 2 lakh passengers, which was 14-15 percent lower than the average daily traffic seen in March 2021. As per ICRA, total domestic passenger traffic in March 2021 has been estimated at around 77-78 lakh passengers.

The number of flight departures on April 6 was at 2269, which was 1.3 percent lower than the average daily flight departures seen in March at 2300.

To bring context to the picture, the flight departures of April 6 was at 78 percent of the average daily traffic seen in the year 2019, which was 2900 departures. In comparison, the domestic flight departures were at 80-82 percent of the 2019 levels during April 1-5.

Similarly, domestic air passenger traffic was 62-69 percent of the average 2019 levels during April 1-5, whereas it was 53 percent of the 2019 levels on April 6.

08/04/21 Anu Sharma/CNBC TV18

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Refund passengers who cancelled flights in 2020 lockdown: Govt reprimands airlines

New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over airline companies defaulting on refunds to passengers over flight tickets that were booked for travel during the lockdown last year but got cancelled.

MoCA Secretary on Wednesday chaired a meeting with representatives of airlines in connection with refund of credit shells of passengers. A credit shell is a credit note created against a cancelled PNR and can be used by the passenger for a future booking.

"MoCA Secretary has chaired the meeting today with all the airline companies regarding credit shells refund and expressed dissatisfaction towards airline companies who did not refund the money. GoAir and IndiGo have submitted their undertaking to the ministry that they have refund all the credit shells to the passengers", an official told ANI.

The Supreme Court of India had ordered MoCA to clear all the credit shells and refund the passengers after the deadline of March 31.

India's low-cost airline SpiceJet wasn't able to refund credit shells to the passengers, "Refunds are governed by the order of the Supreme Court and we are adhering to those directions. SpiceJet had written to all its

travel partners and agents in March 2021 to share details of pending credit shell PNRs so that the airline can immediately reverse the credit shell amount back to the agency ID," a spokesperson for SpiceJet said. National carrier Air India is also yet to refund total credit shells to the passengers. As per sources said Air India has to clear credit shells to around five lakh twenty-five thousand passengers which amount to around Rs 2000 crore.

"Air India is committed to processing its pending refunds claims expeditiously. Dissemination of information regarding refunds is already initiated. Air India has cleared close to Rs 1000 Crore from 1st April 2020 till date in India. We are also addressing queries related to refunds from passengers through our social media platforms." Air India Spokesperson said. 

08/04/21 Mumbai Mirror

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Rajinikanth jets off to Hyderabad in chartered flight for Annaatthe shoot

Chennai: Superstar Rajinikanth on Thursday left for Hyderabad in a chartered flight to take part in the shooting of his upcoming film, Annaatthe. After a minor health scare in December 2020, Rajinikanth resumed Annaatthe shoot in Chennai last month. The next schedule will be shot at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. Directed by Siruthai Siva, Annaatthe is a rural entertainer, which will release on November 4 this year.

Rajinikanth was spotted arriving at the Chennai airport in his luxury car. According to sources close to him, he took a private flight to Hyderabad for the shooting of Annaatthe. A video of Rajinikanth arriving at the airport base is going viral on social media.

In the viral video, we can see Rajinikanth waving to the crowd who had gathered to see him off. His fans can be heard shouting 'Thalaiva' as he got down from his car.

08/04/21 Janani K/India Today

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Indian travellers open to 'digital health passports', but have privacy concerns: Survey

Mumbai: About 47 per cent of Indian travellers interviewed in a survey by a travel technology company said that they are keen to book international travel within six weeks of restrictions easing. Indians ranked high then in their eagerness to travel abroad, the global average was 41%. What was more, 93% Indian respondents said they would be comfortable using a digital health passport for future travel.

The message from Indian travelers is clear; digital health passports can be a vital tool in opening up travel once again, said the survey by Amadeus. "The study further revealed that over the past three quarters, 79% of Indian travelers would be willing to store their travel health data electronically if it meant it will enable them to travel sooner, and if it enabled them to pass through the airport faster with less face-to-face interactions with others,’’ it said.

The survey was conducted in late February 2021 and the findings were based on 9,055 respondents residing in France, Germany, Spain, UAE, Russia, India, Singapore, UK and US who had traveled abroad in the last 18 months (with a minimum of 1,000 respondents per market), said Amadeus.

Despite an overwhelming response to digital health passports, when queried further, there were concerns about security and privacy. "34% of respondents are worried about data security risks with their personal information being hacked, while 28% of respondents are concerned about lack of transparency and control over how and where their data will be shared,’’ said the study. The highest scepticism around digital health passports was reported among Gen Z, with 12% saying that they would not be comfortable using a digital health passport under any circumstances.

The travel industry needs to consider and explore the checks and balances to ease privacy concerns and build traveler confidence in digital health passports, the study said. ``Over half of Indian travelers (53%) would be comfortable using a digital passport if it was accepted by most countries and was regulated as per international standards and 8 out of 10 (80%) would be more likely to store health data on a secured app where a travel provider has partnered with a trusted healthcare provider,’’ the study found.. Even though receptiveness to sharing data is high, when asked about the technologies that would increase confidence in travel in the next 12 months, mobile solutions were highlighted as a popular option. These include, mobile applications that provide on-trip notifications and alerts (51%), contactless mobile payments (49%), facial recognition technology (48%) and boarding pass on mobile (47%)

Mani Ganeshan, Head of R&D, APAC, Amadeus, said: “ Innovations such as digital health passports can catalyse both traveller confidence and the opening of international borders once again. With the world racing towards digital transformation unlike ever before, sophisticated travel-friendly apps will help build the much-needed confidence for travellers both worldwide and in India.”

07/04/21 Manju V/Times of India

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Boeing Forecasts India’s Air Passenger Demand Will Double by 2030

Boeing Co. expects India’s air passenger traffic to double from pre-pandemic levels by 2030 even as any imminent travel recovery looks to be thwarted by a second Covid wave in the South Asian nation.

“Although the Covid-19 pandemic sharply reduced Indian air travel last year, the country’s domestic passenger traffic is recovering more rapidly than in most other countries and regions, recently reaching 76% of pre-pandemic levels,” the jet manufacturer said in a statement Wednesday. “While Covid-19 remains a near-term challenge, the country’s passenger traffic is forecast to outpace global growth.”

An aggressive second wave of coronavirus infections in India has shuttered businesses once again and sent some cities back into lockdown. And airlines and tourism operators may face a prolonged recovery due to the nation’s slow vaccine roll out, which at this rate will take 2.4 years to cover 75% of the population with a two-dose jab.

According to Boeing’s 2020-2039 commercial market outlook, domestic demand will be the first to bounce back to 2019 levels through 2021, while international traffic will recover by 2023. A growing economy and expanding middle class in India, home to world’s third-largest air-passenger market, will aid the aviation recovery and fuel demand for more than 2,200 new jets worth nearly $320 billion over the next 20 years, Boeing said.

“Many more Indians will travel by airplane for leisure and business as incomes rise tied to industrialization and an economic growth rate in South Asia that leads all emerging markets,” said David Schulte, Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ managing director of regional marketing. “With greater demand for domestic, regional and long-haul travel, we anticipate India’s commercial fleet will grow fourfold by 2039.”

07/04/21 Ragini Saxena/Bloomberg 

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Rahul Gandhi Gives Airplane Tour to Kerala Boy Who Wants to Become a Pilot

New Delhi: Ever since Congress leader Rahul Gandhi started his campaign for Assembly elections in Kerala, he has been all over the news. Now, another video of him is going viral on social media after he helped a nine-year-old boy come one step closer to his dream of becoming a pilot. Notably,  Rahul Gandhi, who was on a two-day campaign visit to the poll-bound state Kerala, met the boy named Advait, at a local tea shop in Keezhurkunnu, in Kannur district on Saturday. 

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A post shared by Rahul Gandhi (@rahulgandhi)

Impressed by the boy’s proficiency in English and Hindi, Gandhi asked him what he aspired to be when he grew up. The boy reportedly told him, “I want to fly, I dream to become a pilot”, while adding that he has never seen a helicopter from close quarters before.

The next day, Gandhi made arrangements to bring the boy and his father to the Calicut International airport where his chartered flight was kept. He then gave Advaita a tour of the airplane by taking him up to a cockpit, while a female pilot explained the mechanism of flying a plane. While Rahul and the female pilot explain the complexities, the kid listens with undivided attention.

06/04/21 India.com

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