Lufthansa's Wolfgang Will On Why The Airline Is 'More Indian Than You Think'

A British cricket team who want to defeat the Indian team is brainstorming the best way to do it. They conclude that they should think like Indians to be able to do so and decide to act, dance, eat and play cricket just like Indians. Flying Lufthansa is just another choice as part of that decision which has everything Indian on board hence the tagline 'More Indian than you think'. The airline, which is looking to change its German perception in the Indian market, launched another new ad film after the first TVC under the same tag line. The ad has more than 2.2 million views to date.

Lufthansa believes this the right time to invest in India as the travel sector is on an all-time growth. According to figures released by International Air Transport Association (IATA), India will surpass the United Kingdom as the third largest aviation market by 2026 as domestic and international travel in the country is on an all-time rise. Wolfgang Will, Senior Director, South Asia, Lufthansa said in a conversation with BW Businessworld, "We are confident that India will be the biggest aviation hub by 2030, hence we have big plans for the airline in India. Our current strategy is to elevate our ongoing consumer experience to the next level, and our commitment to India is big. The biggest step in this direction this year is to get the A380 to India."

In the past, Lufthansa has run an Indian airline in partnership which was called ModiLuft. The partnership came to an end in the 1996 after a spat over payment issues between the airline, oil companies, creditors and the Airport Authority of India. Later, the airline's permit was used to start SpiceJet.

The airline is looking to expand in India and has replaced the smaller aircrafts with the bigger fleet of Airbus 350, and has also started a few new routes from Delhi to Frankfurt and Mumbai to Brussels (operated by Brussels airlines).

The new TVC is the German carrier's strategy to strengthen their position in the Indian market. Commenting on the responses the airlines has received for its first TVC in 2014, Will said, "The 'More Indian than you think' campaign has been a success in the market reflecting into the brand strategy of increased preference for Lufthansa. The August 2016 ad tracking source for GFK clearly shows that Lufthansa has the highest first choice rating for 32 per cent rating for business travellers and 29 per cent leisure travellers and more than 80 per cent of the target group. Our campaign philosophy is well associated with Indians. We bank upon our punctuality and safety and our connect with our fliers. Our new TVC celebrates India's undeniable influence over the world and Cricket is just a metaphorical reference."
27/04/17 Taniya Tikoo/Business World

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Etihad joins Jet Airways for Maharashtra partnership

Etihad Airways and strategic partner Jet Airways have signed an agreement with the government of Maharashtra to promote tourism to the western Indian state.

The partnership will enable both airlines to capitalise on their strong links with Maharashtra and further propel domestic and international arrivals into the state capital Mumbai and beyond.

It is the first time an Indian state has signed a tourism collaboration agreement with the airline sector.

Chief minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis presided over the signing of the memorandum of understanding in Mumbai earlier.

Under the agreement, the three entities will pool marketing resources to participate in travel-trade events in key international markets such as the UK and the UAE; jointly promote Destination Maharashtra through advertising campaigns; and organise inbound familiarisation trips for media and travel agents.

Etihad Airways and Jet Airways are key contributors to India’s thriving travel and tourism sector carrying the biggest combined share of international traffic to and from India with one in five travellers choosing either carrier.

Collectively, they operate five flights a day between Abu Dhabi – the UAE carrier’s operational hub – and Maharashtra’s main international gateway of Mumbai with domestic connections across the country.

In addition, Jet Airways flies daily between Maharashtra’s second largest city of Pune and Abu Dhabi.

Maharashtra, the third largest state in India, is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

Mumbai ranks second after the Indian capital Delhi in terms of first port of entry for foreign tourist arrivals into India, and fifth in domestic tourist visits.
27/04/17 Breaking Travel News

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Brussels Airlines sees strong demand in Indian market

Sounding optimistic about the Indian market, Lufthansa group subsidiary Brussels Airlines today said it sees “strong” demand for its offering from here. Brussels Airlines, which is 100 per cent owned by the German airlines’ group Lufthansa, commenced its air services into India last month with a flight to Mumbai from Brussels. The airline currently operates five flight per week from Brussels airport to the Chhtrapati Shivaji International Airport here.
“The demand for direct flights for passengers as well as for cargo is high. With our new service, we offer the diamond and travel industry direct flights, which is an important investment in our network expansion, but also in the economic relations between India and Belgium,” Brussels Airlines Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Management Board Brussels Airlines, Bernard Gustin said during a media briefing.
He said that Brussels Airlines was very much “encouraged” by the strong presence of its parent Lufthansa in India, adding “Brussels is a very important catchment area and the capital city can’t be left unserved with India.”
Naresh Goyal-owned Jet Airways had made Brussels as its hub for the European operations in December 2007, making it the first Indian carrier to have full-scale operation in the European Union capital, but replaced it with Dutch capital Amsterdam last year, citing commercial reasons.
There was a high demand from various industries including pharmaceutical, diamond, maritime, among others, as well as from leisure travelers to reinstate a direct service.
25/04/17 PTI/Financial Express

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Qatar Airways to launch domestic airline in India, Bengaluru to likely serve as hub

Qatar Airways, a state-owned enterprise of the middle eastern nation, has decided to operate a domestic carrier in India. The airliner will be applying with the Qatar investment authority (QIA)  for an operating licence within the next few weeks.
The proposed domestic carrier would be owned majorly by the Qatar Investment Authority, with Qatar Airways have a minor share of 49 per cent. The fleet will consist of will consist of approximately 100 aircraft.
According to a report by Reuters, the airline’s Chief Executive, Akbar al-Baker, told reporters in Dubai that aircraft manufacturers like Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer would be welcome to bid for orders from the proposed Indian carrier.
In preparation for the launch, officials from Qatar have been scouting various airports across India. One airport will be selected to serve as the carrier’s hub. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has already conveyed this message to major airports in India, including Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi.
However, informal signals indicate that the airline has already zeroed in on Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, to serve as its national hub. The successful launch of Qatar Airways’ domestic Indian carrier, would make it the first 100 per cent foreign owned airline in India.
25/04/17 Srividhya Iyer/India

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Maharashtra Tourism Signs MoU with Etihad & Jet Airways to promote Tourism

Maharashtra Tourism signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etihad and Jet Airways, aiming to boost tourism by attracting more visitors to the state and leveraging the airline’s expanding international network.

Valsa Nair Singh, Principal Secretary, Tourism & Culture, Government of Maharashtra, signed MoU with Neerja Bhatia, Regional General Manager of Etihad Airways and Jayaraj Shanmugum, Chief Commercial Officer of Jet Airways in the presence of Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister; Jaykumar Rawal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra , Dr. K.H. Govinda Raj, Managing Director of MTDC among others.

This partnership will mean cooperation in a number of marketing activities such as inflight magazine promotion, website promotion as well as advertising and digital campaigns to promote Maharashtra as a leisure destination. Both the aviation groups would also help provide information to its users on less-explored but high potential destinations in Maharashtra for a memorable travel experience. This association will help expose visitors to Maharashtra’s rich culture and will play a key role in highlighting Maharashtra Tourism’s efforts to diversify tourism products to cater to the passions of growing travelers.
26/04/17 Hospitality Biz India

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DGCA grounds foreign pilot for fake medical record

In a possible first, an expat pilot working with an Indian charter company has been barred from flying in the country for allegedly fudging his medical tests. Pilots need to be healthy -both physically and mentally -and require valid medical certificates to prove their fitness and operate flights.
"The expat pilot flew without a valid Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, regulator for US) approved medical.Then he flew without an Indian medical certificate for one month. He later got his medical done here by falsely claiming that he did not operate any flight during the period when his previous medical tests certificates had lapsed. Unfortunately, for him all the statements were contradicted by his flying record with the charter company which had employed him," said a senior official.
26/04/17 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

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Cirrus Aircraft to sell its single engine planes in east

The world's largest manufacturer of single engine planes, Cirrus Aircraft, has taken on board a Kolkata-based automobile dealer to sell its planes in the east. The AKM Group owned by Amit Modi has multiple auto dealerships, including Skoda cars and Indian motorcycles.
AKM has partnered with Urban International Aviation Centre of Excellence (UI-ACE), a Kolkata-based company, to set up an assembly unit for the five-seater Cirrus luxury planes and a flight training institute at Andal airport in Durgapur.
According to Pinaki Roychowdhury, chairman of UI-ACE, the price of Cirrus planes that currently sell for Rs 5-9.5 crore will drop to Rs 3-5.5 crore once they are assembled locally. "A person can now own a plane at only Rs 5-6 lakh a month. We are also offering a scheme in which parking, maintenance, fuel, pilot and other liabilities are taken care by us to offer no-hassle ownership at Rs 25,000 per flying hour," he said.
26/04/17 Subhro Niyogi/The Times Of India

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Despite laptop ban, Dubai still popular among Indians flyers

The impact of travel bans and electronic device restrictions has started showing on overall passenger traffic volumes at the Dubai airport as traffic to North America fell 4.3% during March compared to the same period last year.
In the last week of March, the US department of homeland security banned "all personal electronic devices larger than a cellphone or smartphone" from the carry-on bags of passengers who board direct flights to the US from the airports in Amman (Jordan), Cairo (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Jeddah and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait, Doha (Qatar), Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The directive had hit passengers from India who fly to the West as one out of every two passengers who fly from India to the US transit through airports in the Middle East. Following the directive, they had check in all electronic devices before they could board the direct flight to the US from the transit airport.
26/04/17 Manju V/The Times Of India

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Rolls-Royce Opens Defence Service Delivery Centre in India

Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc on Thursday opened a new defence service delivery centre (SDC) in Bengaluru, the first outside the US and UK, to provide localized engineering support and solutions and reduce turnaround time for the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy and state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

Rolls-Royce is looking to improve capability and provide faster front-line support for over 750 engines in a range of aircraft used by the defence as well as commercial aircraft such as the C-130J, Hawk advanced jet, Embraer and Jaguar, among others.

Shaun Agle, vice-president (customer services), India defence, said the new service delivery centre will be able to deliver real-time solutions through MRO (maintenance repair and overhaul), provide first and second line of support, have field service representatives, manage the health of the fleet, manage supply chains and collaborate with the armed forces.
21/04/17 Sharan Poovanna/Aviation Pros

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SriLankan to expand India network

Encouraged by the growth in India, SriLankan Airlines has decided to increase its footprint in India market. “We have seen substantial growth in traffic from India to Sri Lanka in last one year and vice versa. As a result, we are going to increase frequency. We currently operate 107 frequencies in a week and we will be increasing that to 130 by middle of this year. We are adding three destinations; Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Coimbatore by July this year. Moreover, we are also increasing frequencies to Mumbai and Delhi and considering increasing frequency to Kolkata as well,” Siva Ramachandran, Chief Commercial Officer, SriLankan Airlines, said in New Delhi on the sidelines of a function organised by the national carrier of Sri Lanka to honour trade partners in India. Elaborating further, he said that the carrier currently has seven frequencies from Mumbai and Delhi which will eventually be increased to 14. “There is going to be huge growth in the India market. Our overall load factor on India routes is close to 80 per cent. While some destinations are witnessing 90 per cent load factor, it is not less than 70 per cent on any routes,” he informed.

To support this expansion, Sri Lankan is also taking delivery of new aircraft. Talking about the fleet acquisition he said that the carrier has taken delivery of the first A320 neo early March and the next one is arriving at the end of the March. “We also have two more A321 neos slated for delivery in July and that’s when we start our expansion programme. We are expected to take delivery of two more aircraft by the end of this year. We are also looking to flying to Melbourne by end of 2017 which will also help connectivity to most of the Indian points,” he revealed. SriLankan has already expanded its operations in China and Far East market. Speaking on making India as a catchment market, he said that Colombo is a mini hub. “We do not have a big airport but our terminal is going to expand soon. All the 107 flights from India have connectivity to Maldives, Seychelles and Far East destinations,” he said.
21/04/17 Murari Mohan Jha/Travel Trends Today

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3 years after Flight 370 missing, Malaysia Airlines to track flights with satellites

One of the greatest mysterious in modern aviation is about the sudden vanishing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on March 8, 2017. The flight took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport with 239 people on board never made it to China. With year long search operations and after spending millions on it, the aircraft is not located prompting several theories about its disappearances. Three years after the tragic incident, Malaysia Airlines on April 20 announced that it will use a real-time satellite tracking system to monitor its flights around the world and it will be the first airlines to do so.
21/04/17 Sonali Pimputkar/The Free Press Journal

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Two airports in TN receive 6% of foreign tourists using e-tourist visas

Chennai and Trichy airports in Tamil Nadu collectively received 6% of international tourists, who flew to India on e-tourist visas in March.
The Union ministry of tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) & FTAs on e- tourist visa on the basis of nationality-wise, port-wise data received from Bureau of Immigration (BOI).
According to an official statement, New Delhi international airport recorded the highest number of e-tourist visa arrivals with 46.5%. It is followed by Mumbai airport and Dabolim airport in Goa with 17.1% and 13.8% respectively.
21/04/17 Yogesh Kabirdoss/The Times Of India

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Now, toilet trouble on United Airlines' NY-Mumbai non-stop flight

United Airlines, which was at the receiving end recently for forcibly offloading a flyer from due to overbooking on a US flight, has run into troubled waters again. Flyers on the airline's Newark-Mumbai non-stop flight on Thursday complained that some toilets on board were "clogged" and hence, not usable.
A passenger on that flight, who requested anonymity , said, "Two lavatories in the economy class were shut, leaving only two toilets for the 100-odd passengers in that section. One of the four lavatories in the business class too was shut.There were long queues outside toilets in the economy class and many flyers tried to used the lavatories in the business section. When we asked the crew why the toilets were closed, they said flush systems were not wor king in those lavatories."
The flight is over 14 hours long with full meals, snacks and drinks served.
A United Airlines spokesperson told TOI: "We apologise to customers of flight UA 48 from New YorkNewark to Mumbai on April 19 for the inconvenience they experienced with the on board lavatories during their flight. While other on board facilities were functioning properly , this falls short of the service our customers expect from us. Our maintenance team inspected the facilities upon arrival and worked to resolve the issue."
22/04/17 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

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Virgin Atlantic and Jet Airways extend codeshare agreement

Virgin Atlantic and Jet Airways have announced they are expanding their codeshare agreement between India and the US, providing greater choice and enhanced connectivity via London Heathrow.
The new agreement will make it even easier for guests to tailor their perfect trip, combining flights from Jet Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines in a single booking.
Jet Airways guests travelling between India and the US can now connect through London Heathrow on to nine US destinations operated by Virgin Atlantic: Atlanta, Boston, Newark, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Seattle.
“We’re really pleased to extend our agreement with Jet Airways to offer customers even more choice when travelling between India and the US, via London Heathrow,” Shai Weiss, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said. “From this week customers of both airlines can travel from five destinations across India with Jet Airways, and connect via London Heathrow to nine US destinations with Virgin Atlantic including Boston and Los Angeles, as well as many more US destinations with transatlantic partner Delta Air Lines via key hubs such as New York and Atlanta.
20/04/17 Iullia Tore/RusTourismNews

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SpiceJet joins hands with Lufthansa Systems to offer in-flight entertainment and e-commerce

SpiceJet, India’s budget airline is all set to now offer in-flight entertainment (IFE) and e-commerce, soon.

SpiceJet has joined hands with Lufthansa Systems to equip its whole fleet with BoardConnect Portable offered by the latter. The new service will allow SpiceJet passengers to do shopping, stream movies, cricket and other content from select platforms offered by the airline.

The airline signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Lufthansa Systems to this effect after the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg. SpiceJet passengers will be able to avail the new offer this year.

“Enhancing customer experience and comfort on-board has always been our prime focus at SpiceJet. SpiceJet expects to be the first LCC in India to provide this unique entertainment and shopping experience to its customers. This is yet another step towards ensuring a Red, Hot and Spicy experience for our customers every time they step into a SpiceJet flight,” said Ajay Singh – CMD, SpiceJet.

“We are proud that with SpiceJet, an extraordinary innovative low-cost airline from India has chosen our award-winning IFE solution BoardConnect Portable,” said Norbert Mueller – Senior Vice President BoardConnect, Lufthansa Systems.

“We are looking forward to team up with SpiceJet for a fast and smooth roll-out project.” he further added.

BoardConnect Portable is an all-in-one solution combining all of the technical components needed for an IFE system – such as a server and access points – in a single device, the Mobile Streaming Unit (MSU).
20/04/17 Defence Abiation Post

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British Airways deploys B787-9 Dreamliner on Mumbai- London route

British Airways has deployed the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner between London and Mumbai route. Earlier the carrier used to fly a Boeing 777. With this new deployment the Airline has invested more in the premium products between London and Mumbai. The new aircraft features a brand new First cabin.

Speaking about the new deployment Robert Williams, Head of Sales - Asia Pacific and the Middle East, British Airways said, “India is a very important market for us, we are investing a lot in this market. Earlier we had introduced a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner between New Delhi- London which has been successful. We have been hearing a lot of positive feedback from our Delhi travellers who have flown the 787-9. The new aircraft will feature a total of eight first class seats, 42 ClubWorld seats, 39 World Traveller Plus premium economy seats, 172 economy seats. So the new aircraft is longer than the B787-8, we have invested in first class cabin. It’s an improved customer proposition.”

Speaking about the demand for premium products from the India market Williams said that British Airways aircrafts have a significant number of premium cabin seats. We still maintain a first class in many of our aircrafts. There is a huge demand for premium cabin seats from India to London, hence we have invested.

Recently, the US government has announced restrictions on the type of electronic items that may be carried onboard flights to the US from certain Middle-Eastern airports, majority of Indian travellers flying to US transit through these Airports.
21/04/17 Akshay Kumar/Travel Trends Today

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'Drunk' passengers insist on playing music on flight; offloaded at Delhi airport

Delhi: Two Canadian nationals, who were apparently intoxicated, were offloaded from a British Airways flight bound to London at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi. According to Hindustan Times, the duo were adamant about playing a musical instrument on board the plane.
Both had arrived from Kathmandu and were travelling to London via Delhi. They had to be removed from the flight, since the pilot refused to fly with them.
Airport officials say the incident took place on April 13 at around 2.15am, when both the passengers were offloaded. They were taken to the transfer area by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), due to being in an inebriated state and causing nuisance on board the flight.
The Delhi Police was also summoned but no case was registered against them. Also, they had to spend eight hours at the airport, after which both departed at around 10 am by Qatar Airways.
20/04/17 Mid Day

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Lufthansa To Fly Its Premium Airbus A350 Aircraft From Mumbai To Munich

German airline Lufthansa on Sunday announced debut of its Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft at Mumbai International Airport. Mumbai will be one of the only three destinations in the world where the airline operates its latest Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft, Lufthansa said in a release. "The newest addition to the Lufthansa fleet will embark on daily 8-hour flights to Munich, which is also one of the airline's hub location. With a maximum seating capacity of 293 passengers, the cabin has 48 passengers in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy Class and 224 in Economy Class," Lufthansa added.

It also said Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) will become the first Indian airport to handle daily operations of two Airbus A350-900 XWB planes.

Airbus A350-900 XWB, the world's most advanced premium passenger aircraft, "marks a generational shift in long haul aircrafts, emphasizing passenger comfort and environment-friendly operations as much as flight range and load capacity", the airline further said.

"With over 46 international airlines operating to/from Mumbai, handling more than 12.4 million international passengers in a year, the airport is a key gateway into India, connecting it to key European and other global destinations," Lufthansa said.
16/04/17 NDTV

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Fear of Flying: Air India and United Airlines Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

It could be a match made in heaven. Literally. Indian social media is salivating at the prospect of watching Shiv Sena's 25-chappal-MP Ravindra Gaikwad flying the friendly skies with United Airlines.

That could be an encounter that would be worth watching putting WWE wrestling to shame for sheer drama. Dragging a passenger off by force from an overbooked flight has left both the passenger and United with a bloody nose. United Airlines, whose CEO Oscar Munoz had a tone deaf response apologizing for "having to re-accommodate these customers," has watched his company lose $800 million in value in what quickly ballooned into a PR disaster.

United Express, which was operating the flight, said it chose the passengers at random but it has acquired a racial overtone as well since the passenger was Asian and the video has gone viral in China, becoming the number 1 trending topic on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

In a weird way it's the mirror image of the story that had India agog for a few weeks – the showdown between Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad and Air India. In this case the shoe is on the other foot, but both are stories of thuggery in the skies, a bit of powerplay running amuck.
17/04/17 SAndip Roy/India West

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