Bengaluru: Vaccine challenge for business team flying to Germany

Bengaluru: A six-member business delegation flying from the Kempegowda International Airport to Frankfurt on an Emirates flight on Saturday had a harrowing time as the airline staff did not allow them to board the flight, saying passengers who have received Covaxin and Covishield vaccines are not allowed into Germany as per a new circular received by them. After nearly a three-hour tussle, involving arguments and help from their agent, they were finally allowed to board the flight (EK 565) at 9.15 am. 

Software engineer Yogesh Dhariyal, who was part of the group, told TNIE that the problem arose because the Bengaluru staff of Emirates misinterpreted an official communication issued to them. “They got a mail stating that Simopharm is not allowed and somehow the Bengaluru airport team misinterpreted the whole mail. Those vaccinated with Covishield have been allowed inside airports since last year and public from other countries vaccinated with Covaxin are allowed from June 1,” he said.

The group was heading to Germany on a month-long business trip. “It was frustrating. We reached the airport around 6.25 am and our flight was at 10.35 am to Frankfurt via Dubai. We have valid business visas with two or three doses of vaccines and negative RTPCR certificates too. The supervisor of Emirates in Bengaluru refused to accept them and told us to go back. We fought a lot and called our agent in Bengaluru. He called the Emirates Regional Sales Manager and explained to him that we had adhered to all the guidelines. After a triple check, they allowed us. We have reached Germany now. There were no issues at all at the immigration centre here,” Dhariyal said.

Another flyer Ashish Sharma, not part of the group, tweeted at 7.22 am, “I am standing in check-in counter of Emirates to board a flight to Germany but suddenly we are not allowed to board flight with reason that Covishield and Covaxin is not allowed in Germany. Please confirm this.” 

When the Emirates Support Team was contacted, the response read, “Passengers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with vaccines approved by the Paul Ehrlich Institute (or equivalents of those vaccines used in non-EU countries) can enter Germany from non-EU  countries.” After furnishing a link on approved vaccines, the message added, “You can also check with the local authorities for more information.” There was no specific response to the issue spoken about. 

06/06/2022 New Indian Express

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Flight tickets to India from UAE could double in July, August: Report

Airfares of India bound flights from UAE may double in July and August, according to a report.

Many Indians living in the UAE have not been able to come home in the past two years owing to Covid restrictions. But now, following the relaxation in travel restrictions, the demand for India bound flights are expected to see a huge jump.

As per a report of Khaleej Times, airfares of India bound flights from the UAE could jump to Dh3,000 in July and August from the average price of around Dh1,500 to Dh1,600 in June.

06/06/22 Economic Times

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SpiceJet starts Haj flights from Srinagar

Pune: SpiceJet flagged off its first special Haj flight from Srinagar on Sunday.

A SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 departed on its schedule time from the Srinagar airport with 145 passengers on-board today morning.

The airline will operate 37 special Haj flights for pilgrims travelling to Mecca for the annual pilgrimage. The special flights from Srinagar will depart for Medina between June 5 and June 20. Return flights from Jeddah to Srinagar are scheduled from July 15 to July 31.

Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, joined the launch event virtually. SpiceJet will deploy its 737-800 aircraft for these special flights.

The airline has in the past operated special Haj flights from Gaya and Srinagar, ferrying around 19,000 pilgrims to and from the holy pilgrimage. The operation of special Haj flights is set to resume after a two year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

05/06/22 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Indian businessman arrested for attempt to smuggle foreign currency

An Indian national has been arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for trying to smuggle foreign currency out of the country.

The airline passenger was preparing to board a flight to Chennai, India when he was arrested due to suspicious behavior.

The 45-year-old India businessman was arrested by the security officers at the airport this morning (05).

Security personnel had grown suspicious of him at the airport due to him visiting the toilet at the passenger terminal several times in a short period of time.

As a result, the airport security officers have arrested the passenger, who had allegedlyvisited Sri Lanka for business purposes, on suspicion along with the luggage he had brought with him.

A search of his luggage turned up 117,000 Canadian dollars and 19,000 euros in cash.

The passenger and the undeclared consignment of foreign currency have been handed over to the Customs officials at the BIA for further investigations.

05/06/22 Adaderana.lk

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India-based private jet operator Enthral Aviation set to expand operations to Middle East

Private jet operator Enthral Aviation, which operates in India and Canada, is set to enter the Middle East market, setting up a subsidiary in Dubai to undertake charter and aircraft management operations in the UAE and neighbouring countries, the company top executive said.

The company also plans to offer an aircraft co-ownership model through which it aims to rope in Middle East and India-based investors under a revenue-sharing arrangement.

“The Middle East, especially Dubai, is a great global hub for private jet and helicopter flyers, with its status as one of the leading global financial capitals and strategic location. Enthral Aviation is looking forward to grabbing the opportunity that UAE and neighbouring countries have to offer by setting up a subsidiary in Dubai,” Tapish Khivensra, managing director of Enthral Aviation, told Arabian Business in an exclusive interview.

Entrepreneur Khivensra said Enthral Aviation is seeking the required business license from Dubai and the UAE aviation authorities and that the company was aiming to commence operations in Dubai by December this year.

“We will be operating in the region with an airport operator certificate (AOC) from Malta or San Marino. There are many like Empire Aviation which operates [in the UAE] on San Marino and Malta licence,” he said.

05/06/22 James Mathew/Arabian Business

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International Flights: India to Operate Over 3,200 Flights Per Week

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday said over 3,200 international flights will be operated per week from India during this year’s summer schedule which commences on Sunday.

In a statement, the DGCA further said over 1,466 departures per week have been approved for Indian carriers. On the other hand, 1,783 departures per week will be operated by foreign airlines.

The DGCA added that the Summer Schedule 2022 is effective from March 27, 2022, till October 29, 2022. 

“A total of 1,466 departures per week have been approved to 43 destinations in 27 countries,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.

The DGCA said according to the approved schedule, IndiGo will operate 505 departures per week, followed by Air India at 361, Air India Express at 340, SpiceJet at 130, GoAir (GoFirst now) at 74, and Vistara at 56.

Apart from this, a total of 60 foreign airlines from 40 countries have also been given the approval to operate 1,783 frequencies to and from India during ‘Summer Schedule 2022’.

05/06/22 India.com

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SpiceJet starts Haj flights from Srinagar

Pune: SpiceJet flagged off its first special Haj flight from Srinagar on Sunday.

A SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 departed on its schedule time from the Srinagar airport with 145 passengers on-board today morning.

The airline will operate 37 special Haj flights for pilgrims travelling to Mecca for the annual pilgrimage. The special flights from Srinagar will depart for Medina between June 5 and June 20. Return flights from Jeddah to Srinagar are scheduled from July 15 to July 31.

Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, joined the launch event virtually. SpiceJet will deploy its 737-800 aircraft for these special flights.

The airline has in the past operated special Haj flights from Gaya and Srinagar, ferrying around 19,000 pilgrims to and from the holy pilgrimage. The operation of special Haj flights is set to resume after a two year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

05/07/22 Joy Sengupta/Times of India

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Vietjet launches flights from Mumbai to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietjet has launched direct flights from Mumbai to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest city. The Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai, the airport authorities, Vietjet management representatives, and hundreds of passengers onboard the initial flights attended the inaugural flight celebration of the two direct routes at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai.

To celebrate the occasion, Vietjet will offer 19,999 super-saver tickets from just USD 0 applied to all flights between Vietnam and India with a travel duration from July 1 to December 31, 2022. Promotional tickets are up for grabs daily from 10:30 AM on June 7 till 10:30 pm on June 9, 2022.

Besides the Mumbai - Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi services, Vietjet’s direct routes between New Delhi and the aforementioned cities currently operate thrice-weekly flights on each route. From September 9, 2022, the Mumbai - Phu Quoc route will commence operation with four round trips per week, while the New Delhi – Phu Quoc will operate with a frequency of three round trips per week.

Vietjet’s direct services between India and Vietnam are expected to ease people’s travelling to the country and make connecting flights to the country’s top tourist destinations such as Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, etc. and other regional destinations including Bali, Bangkok and Singapore, etc.

Vietjet’s Vice President Do Xuan Quang said, “Following our launch of New Delhi – Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, we are delighted to launch two more direct routes between Vietnam and Mumbai. We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai, as well as the coming Phu Quoc – Mumbai route, will strengthen the ongoing relationship of Vietnam’s two biggest cities with Mumbai. The services launched between Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi and Mumbai operate four and thrice-weekly flights, respectively. We expect to increase the frequency in the incoming time to meet customer’s demand.”

04/06/22 ZeeNews

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Hajj pilgrimage: First flight departs with 377 pilgrims from Kochi

Kochi: The first flight with pilgrims for the Hajj pilgrimage 2022 departed from Kerala’s Kochi airport to Medina in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

As many as 377 passengers departed in the SV 5747 flight of Saudi Arabian Airlines. It was flagged off by V Abdurahman, Kerala Minister for Wakf and Hajj pilgrimage.

Kerala Minister for ports, museum, archaeology and archives Ahmad Devarkovil, Central Hajj Committee Chairman AP Abdullkutty, and State Hajj Committee Chairman C Muhammad Faisi were also present here.

“Today, the first batch of Indian Hajj pilgrims took off from Kochi airport to Saudi Arabia. As per our schedule, the last aircraft take off from Mumbai on July 3. I request all of you, we need your prayer and blessings. We are very confident, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, we will successfully perform all rituals in Mecca and Medina,” AP Abdullakutty, Chairman of the Central Hajj Committee told ANI.

Meanwhile, Kerala Minister for Wakf and Hajj pilgrimage V Abdurahman said that all the arrangements had been completed for the pilgrimage and there were no issues.

“All arrangements are completed. Today, 377 people for hajj are started their journey on the first flight. They arrived at the camp two days ago. All their tests are over. Now the flight has departed. There are currently no issues. Things are going well,” said Abdurahman.

C Muhammad Faisi, Chairman of the State Hajj Committee thanked the central and state governments for all their efforts in this regard.

04/06/22 ANI/Print

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Vietjet launches flights from Mumbai to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City

Vietjet has launched direct flights from Mumbai to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City, the country's largest city. The Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai, the airport authorities, Vietjet management representatives, and hundreds of passengers onboard the initial flights attended the inaugural flight celebration of the two direct routes at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai.

To celebrate the occasion, Vietjet will offer 19,999 super-saver tickets from just USD 0 applied to all flights between Vietnam and India with a travel duration from July 1 to December 31, 2022. Promotional tickets are up for grabs daily from 10:30 AM on June 7 till 10:30 pm on June 9, 2022.

Besides the Mumbai - Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi services, Vietjet’s direct routes between New Delhi and the aforementioned cities currently operate thrice-weekly flights on each route. From September 9, 2022, the Mumbai - Phu Quoc route will commence operation with four round trips per week, while the New Delhi – Phu Quoc will operate with a frequency of three round trips per week.

Vietjet’s direct services between India and Vietnam are expected to ease people’s travelling to the country and make connecting flights to the country’s top tourist destinations such as Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, etc. and other regional destinations including Bali, Bangkok and Singapore, etc.

Vietjet’s Vice President Do Xuan Quang said, “Following our launch of New Delhi – Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, we are delighted to launch two more direct routes between Vietnam and Mumbai. We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai, as well as the coming Phu Quoc – Mumbai route, will strengthen the ongoing relationship of Vietnam’s two biggest cities with Mumbai. The services launched between Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi and Mumbai operate four and thrice-weekly flights, respectively. We expect to increase the frequency in the incoming time to meet customer’s demand.”

04/06/22 ZeeNews

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India’s Vistara to launch flights to Jeddah on August 2

India’s full-service carrier Vistara on Thursday announced the launch of a new service to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, starting from August 2.

The new service from India has been launched with an aim of global expansion and bookings are in process across all platforms.

Speaking on the launch of the new international route, Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “The launch of services to Jeddah will further intensify our presence in the Middle East region.”

“Saudi Arabia shares a strong bilateral relationship with India and is home to a significant population belonging to the Indian diaspora, thereby offering great prospects for Vistara’s growth,” he added.

Bookings have already opened for the new route. Customers can now book their direct flights between Mumbai and Saudi Arabia by visiting Vistara’s website or by calling the call centre or via travel agencies.

Vistara is India’s top-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor and has won several awards, along with praise for its cabin cleanliness and safety standards.

03/06/22 Sakina Fatima/Siasat.com

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Etihad bets on Airbus A350 to drive demand from India

Etihad Airways continues to see India as an important market and is betting on the wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft to drive demand from the Indian market, vice president, Indian subcontinent, Etihad Airways- Neerja Bhatia told CNBC-TV18 in a recent interview.

"We have a lot of history in terms of the relationship between India and UAE. The proximity that UAE has with India is also beneficial. There is a huge Indian diaspora who are living in UAE, it is a home away from home for all the Indians working there and living there... India is a very important market for us," Bhatia said.

The prospects for demand from India are also strong on the back of its growing economy, increasing middle-class income, student and corporate traffic as well as people travelling for visiting friends and relatives in addition to leisure travel, Bhatia added.

The airline has been undertaking initiatives during the last two years of the pandemic to increase efficiency and is now geared up for operating a full schedule from India. The airline is operating almost two flights daily from Delhi and Mumbai each, 10 flights per week from Hyderabad, nine flights a week from Bengaluru, and thrice a week from Trivandrum among flight operations from Kochi and Chennai as well.

"We are increasing our capacity and taking a pragmatic approach to network planning, we are becoming agile to cater to all opportunities and demand," Bhatia added.

The airline is also betting on its freshly inducted Airbus A350-1000 aircraft to drive demand from India. The A350 has 44 business studios and 327 economy seats.

03/06/22 Anu Sharma/CNBC TV18

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Virgin Atlantic starts second daily flight connecting Delhi and London Heathrow

Virgin Atlantic announced that it has opened its second daily route from Delhi to London Heathrow, which will provide clients with connections to a number of US cities including New York, Boston, Austin, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. The airline stated that with the commencement of its second daily Delhi to London Heathrow service this year, it will be able to provide 1,00,000 additional tickets.

Virgin Atlantic has deployed its 258-seater Boeing B787-9, comprising 31 upper-class seats, 35 premium and the remaining 192 economy delight, classic and light seats, the British carrier said.

"This year is our largest ever flying programme from India and reflects the strong demand for our flights. We will be offering 1,00,000 additional seats this year with the launch of our second daily Delhi to London Heathrow service, and we have strong bookings for the coming months," said Liezl Gericke, Head of Middle East, Africa, and South Asia at Virgin Atlantic.

03/06/22 ZeeNews

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Finally, boarding time for Singapore Airlines’ flight to India

Singapore Airlines Ltd.’s long-delayed flight to India may finally be ready for take-off.

As travel resumes and the carrier moves past the record annual loss it was reporting around this time last year, Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong wants to pursue a multi-hub strategy, one in which airlines owned by it will benefit from aviation demand outside of Singapore.

“India is obviously a very important one because it’s going to be massive,” Goh told Bloomberg News, adding that he expects the country to be the third-largest aviation market after China and the US by the middle of the decade, if not sooner.

It’s a market that has attracted the small Asian city-state for decades. Singapore Airlines had partnered with the Mumbai-based conglomerate Tata Group in the failed 2001 privatisation of Air India Ltd. New Delhi finally got around to selling the flag carrier to Tata only last year.

During that 20-year period, West Asian rivals tried to make inroads into India.

Etihad Airways PJSC invested in Jet Airways India Ltd., whose founder Naresh Goyal ran his carrier into bankruptcy. When Qatar was negotiating for more flights between Indian locations and Doha six years ago, it was told to set up a new airline. Qatar Airways Ltd. even announced a brand-new short-haul carrier for India. While nothing came of that plan, the company has often expressed its keenness to buy a stake in IndiGo, India’s biggest airline.

The Tata Group flirted with others, including Singapore Airlines’ arch rival AirAsia Bhd., with which it launched AirAsia India. Goh, who rose to become CEO in 2011, stuck to Tata, taking a 49 percent stake in its full-service carrier Vistara. In the seven years that Vistara has been flying, it’s yet to turn a profit even though it now serves nine overseas destinations and covers 31 cities in India.

But Goh’s loyalty and patience may finally be rewarded: Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Singapore Airlines’ no-frills Scoot brand, is joining as CEO of the newly-privatised Air India. This isn’t a case of Tata poaching senior talent from its partner, but rather the beginning of a deeper relationship.

03/06/22 Andy Mukherjee/Moneycontrol

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Hyderabad: Indo-French conference highlights India’s aviation history

Hyderabad: A conference on History of Indo-French aviation was held at Science Beyond Borders, an exhibition at BM Birla Science museum in the city on June 3. The artistic, cultural, educational, and literary exhibition, which showcases 137 slides, will be open to the public every day from 10:30 am to 8 pm from June 4 to June 26.

During the conference, the panelists showcased the historic Indian and French connection in the domain of aviation. They spoke of Indian aviators who served in the flying arm of the British army during World War I.

One can’t miss on Indra Lal Roy when speaking of aviation and Indian fighter pilots. He shot down nine German planes in less than two weeks during World War I. That earned him the reputation of being an ‘ace‘ flyer, a tag conferred on pilots who shot down five enemy aircraft.

The topic of discussion for the History of Indo-French aviation was chaired by CEO of Blue Horizons Strategic Engineering Pvt. ltd and Air Vice Marshal S Bhanoji Rao VSM (Retired).

The speakers included Sqn. Ldr. Rana Chhina (Retired), author of the aviation section, Convenor of Hyderabad chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Dr. Anuradha Reddy, Pilot and Collector Cpt. AS Randhawa, and author of the aviation section, Dr. Samuel Berthet.

Dr Anuradha Reddy spoke of Hyderabad and its association to the aviation industry. Founded in 1945, Deccan Airways ltd was one of the nine airlines existing in India during independence.  The airline was a joint venture of Nizam Government of erstwhile Hyderabad State and Tata Airlines.

Dr Reddy also mentioned Aban Pestonji Chenoy, the daughter of the Nizam’s Mint Master was the first woman member of the Hyderabad State Aero Club to qualify for an aviator’s license in 1938.

03/07/22 Siasat.com

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After 2 yrs’ gap, Qatar Airways flight to take off from city today

Nagpur: Yet another international airline is resuming its services from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport here. From Thursday, Qatar Airways will be restarting its flights on Doha-Nagpur-Doha sector after keeping the operations closed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier, Air-Arabia restarted its flight on the Sharjah-Nagpur sector a few months ago.

“It is big news for the Nagpur airport. After the success of Air-Arabia on Sharjah-Nagpur sector, we kept working hard for the new foreign airlines and now Qatar Airways have confirmed that from June 2, it will start its regular services to Doha. Huge thumbs up for Nagpur. Hard work pays,” tweeted Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) Limited managing director Deepak Kapoor on Wednesday.

Though Kapoor didn’t pick up repeated calls from TOI, officials from the airport said that the Qatar Airways flight would depart from here on four days a week. “It would be operating Airbus A-320 having capacity to fly 144 passengers. It would also be offering business class travel. Passengers, particularly those touring western countries, would be immensely benefited as the flight would connect over 150 destinations from Doha’s Hamid International Airport,” the officials said and added that Air Arabia operated a 180-seater flight having all economy seats.

Qatar Airways, one of the world’s leading airlines, started its services from the city in January 2008 but closed it in May 2009 due to poor response. It resumed services in December 2015 and received good response. The operations were shut in 2020 after the pandemic hit the world. It also closed its office in the city in February last year and reduced the staff, as per the airport officials.

02/06/22 Vaibhav Ganjapure/Times of India

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SpiceJet to operate 37 special flights to Saudi Arabia for Haj pilgrims

New Delhi: SpiceJet on Thursday said it will operate 37 special flights between India and Saudi Arabia till July 31 for Indian Haj pilgrims who will visit Islamic pilgrimage sites in Mecca and Medina.

"The special flights from Srinagar will depart for Medina between June 5 and June 20. Return flights from Jeddah to Srinagar are scheduled from July 15 to July 31," the airline's statement said.

SpiceJet is the only Indian airline operating Haj flights this year, it claimed.

"SpiceJet had in the past operated special Haj flights from Gaya and Srinagar, ferrying around 19,000 pilgrims to and from the holy pilgrimage," it noted.

02/06/22 PTI/Business Standard

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Devas shareholders seize $25m more in AAI, Air India’s Canadian assets

Devas shareholders have seized an additional $25 million in assets based in Canada from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) as well as Air India. In total, Devas shareholders have seized a total of $55 million so far.

This comes after the Canadian courts granted the Indian government partial leniency in January. The court noted that Devas shareholders can only seize 50 per cent of Air India assets held by IATA, and had quashed the order permitting seizure of funds belonging to AAI. This came after AAI had challenged the December order passed by a court in the case related to Devas Multimedia.

The court had granted Devas shareholders the right to seize assets belonging to the AAI in Montreal to enforce a $111-million award given by United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.

However, according to the information shared with BusinessLine, the $55 million under seizure order is the result of enforcement proceedings undertaken in Canada targeting monies flowing through IATAI from AAI and Air India. This includes the normal and orderly collection of overflight fees, landing fees and ticketing fees.  

Now, an additional $25 million have been seized, over the $30 million already seized as of December 31, 2021.

Lead counsel for Devas Shareholders, Matthew D McGill, partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, said, “The announcement of $55 million under seizure by Devas shareholders is a confirmation of what we have said from the beginning. Devas will be relentless in its efforts to enforce our lawful international arbitral awards in courts around the world.”

The $111-million award has been confirmed and enforced in many jurisdictions internationally, besides Canada. In January, a Paris court allowed Devas shareholders to seize an apartment that houses the Indian Deputy Chief of Mission, valued at €3.8 million, as part of enforcing the $111-million award.

02/06/22 Ayushi Kar/Business Line

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Lufthansa Cargo Names One Of Its Boeing 777Fs After India

Lufthansa has named one of its younger Boeing 777F "Namaste India". The 1.8-year-old aircraft was delivered to Lufthansa in August 2020, though it only received its name at a ceremony held in Mumbai on May 31st. Just one of 11 Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777s is currently without a name. This is a second-hand jet from Emirates, which is still yet to receive the full Lufthansa Cargo livery.

Last year Lufthansa Cargo retired its final MD-11, meaning that its fleet is now solely comprised of Boeing 777Fs. Lufthansa can't seem to get its hands on its desired capacity quick enough, and as such, it recently placed an order for even more of the freighter Boeing 777.

On Tuesday, Lufthansa Cargo christened one of its two thus nameless Boeing 777Fs as "Namaste India", or hello India. The name builds on the pattern established by the carrier of naming its freighter aircraft after significant markets. The airline calls this guiding principle "say hello to the world".

Namaste India is intended to represent the connection between Lufthansa Cargo and the country. The airline has been servicing Indian air cargo since 1959. Its Boeing 777Fs currently fly to India eight times a week. This includes four Mumbai flights and two flights to each of Bengaluru and Chennai from Frankfurt. Lufthansa Cargo also utilizes space on passenger services to the country. At total capacity in 2019, the airline carried more than 108,000 tons of cargo to and from India.

Commenting on the naming, the airline's CCO, Ashwin Bhat, remarked,

"For decades, Lufthansa Cargo has been an important and reliable partner in and for India. I am extremely pleased to personally mark this partnership and success story in the context of this freighter naming ceremony in my home city. It is our goal to continue connecting India with other markets around the world and to support the strong development of the Indian economy."

02/06/22 Tom Boon/Simple Flying

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Gold smuggling from Gulf continues unabated

Smuggling of gold from Arabian Gulf countries, especially the United Arab Emirates, into the State continues unabated despite an increased vigil by the law enforcement agencies.

If some of the links involved in smuggling rackets can be trusted, hardly 10% of the gold brought into the State through Kerala’s airports is seized by the Customs and the police.

Although police sources do not admit that much of the gold smuggled in with the help of carriers reach the gold mafia, they agree that there was a spurt in the illegal trans-Gulf gold trade in recent months. In tune with the increase in gold smuggling, the hawala movement, dacoity and robbery too increased considerably in the State.

District Police Chief Sujith Das S. told The Hindu that it was a recent spurt in highway robberies and attacks involving gold and hawala gang members that made him shift focus to the Calicut airport. Dozens of carriers and their base-level agents were arrested by the police in Malappuram in the last five months, and contraband worth many crores of rupees was seized.

In the latest seizure made on Tuesday, the police recovered 2.57 kg gold from two passengers who reached the Calicut airport on separate Air India flights from Dubai. “It is hard to find a Dubai flight without one or two carriers,” said a senior airport official.

“You just go and wait outside the arrival terminal in Kozhikode. You can easily find carriers being whisked away by agents,” said a Customs officer on condition of anonymity. At the same time, Customs officials admitted that staff shortage was posing a severe handicap for them at the airport.

“When we tightened screening, people started complaining. We don’t have any magic vision to catch smugglers who resort to all possible methods to avoid detection. We regularly seize smugglers though,” said the Customs officer.

01/06/22 The Hindu

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SpiceJet tells SC matter with Credit Suisse settled; seeks urgent hearing

Private airlines company SpiceJet Limited on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it has reached a settlement over its outstanding dues with Swiss company Credit Suisse and sought an urgent listing of its plea challenging the winding order passed by the Madras High Court.

The plea for urgent listing of the case was mentioned by the counsel appearing for SpiceJet before a vacation bench headed by Justice Ajay Rastogi, which agreed to list the matter on Friday.

"There are obligations which have to be complied. It's only to take the settlement on record. Otherwise, it will fail," the advocate told the bench.

The urgent listing of the case was also cited last week.

In January, the Supreme Court had stayed for three weeks the order of directing winding up proceedings against SpiceJet after the airline claimed that it is looking to settle the dispute over its outstanding dues with Swiss company Credit Suisse.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli had stayed the winding up order of SpiceJet for three weeks to await the measures taken by the airlines' management to resolve the dispute.

The airline had said that it will attempt to resolve the issues with Credit Suisse in three weeks.

SpiceJet Limited had earlier approached the apex court against the Madras High Court order of the winding up of the company.

As per Switzerland-based company Credit Suisse AG, SpiceJet had failed to honour its commitment to pay the bills for over USD 24 million raised by the Swiss company for maintenance, repairing and overhauling of the aircraft engines and components.

The division bench of the Madras High Court had upheld the December 6 verdict of a single judge ordering the winding up of SpiceJet Limited and directing the official liquidator attached to the High Court to take over the assets of the company.

The single judge had suspended the operation of his order for a limited period with a direction to the company to remit USD 5 million, as a condition precedent to avail the interim relief.

The division bench by its order on January 11, however, extended the operation of the interim stay granted by the single judge, till January 28 to enable the airliner to prefer an appeal before the Supreme Court. SpiceJet moved the division bench against the single judge order.

The winding up petition before High Court's single judge was moved by a Credit Suisse AG claiming that SpiceJet was indebted to it for more than USD 24 million and alleged that the private carrier is unable to pay the debts owed to the firm.

01/06/22 ANI/Business Standard

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Vistara Hands Over "Unruly Passenger" To Authorities At Heathrow Airport

New Delhi: Vistara handed over to the UK authorities an "unruly" passenger who misbehaved with the crew and others mid-air during a Delhi to London flight.

A Vistara spokesperson said flight No. UK17, flying from Delhi to London's Heathrow's airport on Monday, saw "an incident involving an unruly passenger."

"The incident was reported to the local authorities, and the passenger was taken into custody for investigation upon arrival at London Heathrow. Our staff is cooperating with the authorities, as required," the spokesperson said.

"Vistara stands firm with its zero-tolerance policy against unruly behaviour that endangers the safety, security, and dignity of its customers and staff."

The airline did not give more details about the incident involving the "unruly passenger".

01/06/22 NDTV

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LOT Polish Airlines takes off from Mumbai

Star Alliance member carrier LOT Polish Airlines has integrated Mumbai in its global route network. Today, LOT Polish Airlines and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai jointly celebrated the launch of the new nonstop service between Mumbai and Warsaw. The Polish capital is LOT Polish Airlines’ global hub, providing seamless connectivity to many destinations throughout Europe and North America.

Flight LO-076 takes off from Mumbai every Sunday at 8:45h and every Wednesday at 8:25h and arrives at 13:40h and 13:20h respectively (local times) at Warsaw’s Chopin Airport (8:25 hours flight time). On the way to India, flight LO-075 departs from Warsaw every Tuesday and Saturday at 15:40h and lands in Mumbai at 2:45h (following morning) after 7:35 hours flying time.

“Today marks a special day for LOT Polish Airlines. After the successful launch of our Delhi to Warsaw operations in September 2019 and based on positive feedback from our customers and trade partners in India, it has always been our desire to add Mumbai to our passenger route network. We are delighted that the inaugural flight between Mumbai and Warsaw has been launched today, providing guests from India with a greater choice of travel options, not only to Poland, but also to many other popular European and North American leisure and business destinations,” said Amit Ray, Director India, LOT Polish Airlines. 

01/06/22 BW Hotelier

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Singapore Air eyes overseas hubs after Covid slump in domestic market, India key growth area

Singapore/New Delhi Singapore Airlines Ltd. is committing to a strategy of working with international partners and establishing overseas hubs after the pandemic exposed the financial dangers of not having a domestic air travel market.

The airline is open to opportunities and will evaluate potential synergies, Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

“We realized that without a domestic market has its challenges,” Goh said. “That’s why we have the multi-hub strategy. We establish an external hub, whereby we hope we can then participate in the growth from that market.”

Goh, a 58-year-old industry veteran who joined Singapore Airlines in 1990 and became CEO in 2011, is trying to guide one of Asia’s most pre-eminent carriers out of the toughest period in its history. This time last year, the airline had just announced a record annual loss and was flying only a few thousand people a month compared with as many as 2 million passengers in pre-Covid times. Unsure when the situation might improve, Singapore Airlines had to raise billions of dollars to get through the crisis.

Now that Singapore and most other countries around the world have opened their borders again to quarantine-free travel, the carrier was able to increase traffic to more than 1 million passengers in April, the most since the pandemic began.

In the interview, Goh highlighted India as a key growth area, saying it is expected to become the world’s third-biggest aviation market by the middle of this decade, if not before.

Singapore Airlines teamed up with Indian conglomerate Tata Sons Pvt. to form full-service carrier Vistara, which started flying in 2014. Vistara now serves nine overseas destinations and 31 in India, though it has yet to make a profit.

“India is obviously a very important one because it’s going to be massive,” Goh said. “We want to continue to look at scaling up Vistara and ensuring that it grows well.”

Apart from the huge domestic market — already the world’s third largest — India’s allure also lies in international passengers. Close to 4.8 million people traveled between India and Singapore in 2019, before the pandemic, data from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation show.

With Vistara, Singapore Airlines aims to cater to Indians flying to Europe and the US, poaching them from Gulf rivals that dominate the Indian overseas air-travel market.

Goh refused to be drawn on whether Singapore Airlines would be interested in buying a stake in Air India Ltd., saying the company doesn’t comment on confidential discussions it may or may not be having with partners.

“What I can tell you is that both Tata Sons and ourselves are equally committed to ensure that Vistara continues to grow,” he said.

01/06/22 Kyunghee Park/Anurag Kotoky & Haslinda Amin/Print

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