Confident about PM Narendra Modi's policies; Qatar Air plans to Qatar Air plans to introduce new airlines with 100 jets order in India new airlines

In a bid to gain larger share in one of the world's biggest markets, Qatar Airways Ltd. may order 100 new jetliners in 2017. The Gulf-based carrier also plans to announce a couple of new routes in England, Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said.
In a media interaction in London, Al Baker said that Qatar Airways is confident about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aviation policies that might permit 100 per cent foreign ownership of a domestic airline.
Confirming the speculations about Qatar Airways launching a new airline in India, the CEO said, "It could happen this year".
Last June, liberalising the FDI regulations, the Government allowed foreign investors -- barring overseas airlines -- to own up to 100 per cent stake in local carriers. At present, foreign airlines are allowed to invest only up to 49 per cent in domestic carriers.
Qatar Airways is British Airways-owner IAG's biggest shareholder. It also has its stakes in South America's biggest carrier, Latam Airlines Group SA and Italy's second-largest airline, Meridiana Fly SpA.
28/03/17 Business Today

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Qatar Airways plans to buy 100 jetliners to launch airline in India

CEO Akbar Al Baker said he was confident that ‘futuristic’ PM Narendra Modi's aviation policy will allow 100% foreign ownership of the domestic airline.

Taking cues from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans for the aviation sector, Qatar Airways is likely to order 100 new jetliners before 2017-end to enter India with a new airline, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker also said the company plans on launching two new routes to the United Kingdom, even though the nation has imposed increased security restrictions.

Al Baker said the airline was confident that “futuristic” Modi’s new aviation policy will allow 100% foreign ownership of a domestic airline. Speaking to reporters in London, Al Baker said the airline was consulting its legal team in India to start a tender for the aircraft soon. “It could be this year. It depends how fast we can arrange our application,” Al Baker said.

The development follows Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways takeover of a 24% stake in Jet Airways India Ltd. Singapore Airlines Ltd and AirAsia too have 49% stakes with their affiliates in India.
28/03/17 Scroll.in

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Croatia Airlines & Air India Sign Codeshare Agreement

Croatia Airlines have announced that they have signed a codeshare agreement with Air India.

Croatia’s national carrier and India’s national carrier have entered into a codeshare agreement on the use of flight with shared codes of both carriers.

Croatia airlines have been Star Alliance member since 2004, whilst Air India joined in 2014.

The agreement, which will come into effect on 1 April 2017, allows for increased choice for the customers of both airlines.

Regardless of the operating carrier, passengers can fly a combination of Air India and Croatian Airlines services using the ticket and code of either of the two airlines.
27/03/17 Croatia Week

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Sharjah flight from Kathmandu makes emergency landing in Lucknow

Lucknow: A Sharjah-bound Air Arabia flight with nearly 168 passengers on board from Kathmandu made an emergency landing at Lucknow airport on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday because of a technical snag in the aircraft's engine.
The flight (G9-532) took off around 11pm on Friday evening. Just over an hour into flight the pilot detected vibrations in the engine. Eyewitnesses said that the aircraft almost shuddered mid air when the pilot decided to make an emergency landing at the Lucknow airport around 1 am.
"Full emergency was declared and necessary action was taken," said Airport Authority of India spokesperson. The passengers were later taken to hotels by the handling agency, the spokesperson added.
25/03/17 Pankaj Shah/Times of India

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Trump admin asked to push for F-16 sale to India

Washington: Two top Senators have urged the Trump administration to push for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to India to build its capability to counter security threats and balance China’s growing military power in the Pacific.

Senators Mark Warner from Virginia and John Cornyn from Texa in a joint letter to US Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, the Trump administration must make the fighter jet acquisition a priority during initial bilateral discussions with India.

India has launched an effort to expand its combat aircraft fleet and the competition has reportedly narrowed down to Lockheed’s F-16 and Saab’s Gripen.

Noting that the last F-16 for the US Air Force rolled off the production line in Fort Worth in 1999, the two Senators said India remains the only major F-16 prospect customer.

“A primary factor in India’s decision will be compliance with Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, which will require establishing some level of local production capacity,” Mr. Warner and Mr. Cornyn wrote.
25/03/17 PTI/The Hindu

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Hundreds of flights delayed by thunderstorms in UAE

Dubai, Abu Dhabi: Heavy rains, coupled with thunderbolt and lighting that hit the country from pre-dawn to early morning on Friday, has sent air traffic into a tailspin, causing delays in more than 100 flights, both inbound and outbound, Gulf News has learnt.
The inclement weather brought different intensities of rain that fell over scattered areas of the country, triggering a number of road accidents.
Between the 9am and noon on Friday, more than 100 flights out of Dubai were dalayed.
Another 30 or so inbound flights into Dubai were also delayed, including flights of flydubai from Prague, Virgin Atlantic from London, Air Astana from Almaty, Jet Airways from India, and Emirates from Islamabad, according to aviation tracking site, Flight-Tracker.
Furthermore, more than 20 flights into Dubai were delayed between 12noon to 3pm on Friday.
24/03/17 Gulf News

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Air India passenger jet is 'grounded at Heathrow as it's hit by a BIRD in mid-air causing a massive dent to the nose'

A passenger jet has been grounded after a bird slammed into in mid-air causing damage to the nose of the plane.
The Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London via Newark suffered a bird strike, forcing the airline to cancel its return journey from Heathrow.
The bird slammed into the plane and dented the nose and the radar antenna.
The plane landed at 10.39am yesterday but the airline was forced to cancel the next leg of the return flight to Ahmedabad in Gujarat while repairs were carried out.
Following the incident a picture emerged of the damage to the front of the plane.
Of the 230 passengers on board flying to Newark, 50 were put on another flight.
Aviation expert Adrian Gjertsen told MailOnline that such incidents are fairly common.
He said: 'They are a sufficiently common occurence known as bird strikes.
'When they hit the nose it can shatter the nose dome and birds can even damage the edge of the wings if they hit the wrong spot.
'A worst case scenario would be a large bird, like a Canada Goose, slamming into the engines - that can cause serious damage.'
He added that most airports have departments with bird scaring devices because such incidents are most likely to take place at an airport.
23/03/17 Keiligh Baker/Daily Mail

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Darwin to India flights a step closer

The Territory’s hopes of tapping into the emerging India tourist market is a step closer with one of India’s premier international airlines adding Darwin to its destination footprint.

Mumbai-based Jet Airways and Singapore-based Jetstar Asia have signed a codeshare agreement for flights from Singapore extending Jet’s footprint to Darwin.

Under the agreement, Jet Airways will place its marketing code ‘9W’ on Jetstar Asia flights between Darwin and Singapore.

Jet Airways chief commercial officer Jayaraj Shanmugam said Darwin was now an increasing feature in the itineraries of Indian travellers seeking newer leisure destinations.

“Jetstar Asia flies to some of the most popular leisure and business destinations across the Asia Pacific,” he said.

“With this codeshare agreement, our passengers will now be able to tap into this extensive network to explore new and exotic destinations like Darwin.”

Jet Airways is the second largest airline in India after IndiGo with a 21.2 per cent passenger market share. It operates more than 300 flights daily to 68 international destinations.

Top End Tourism CEO Trevor Cox has welcomed the news saying it commits Jet Airways within India to marketing Darwin and the Northern Territory as a tourist destination. “It is a small step in the right direction,” Mr Cox said.
23/03/17 Gary Shipway/NT News

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50% of US-bound Indian flyers to be impacted by US govt curbs on e-devices

Mumbai: Washington DC’s decision to impose curbs on taking iPads and laptops as cabin baggage will impact nearly half of the passengers between India and the US.

Data compiled by aviation consultancy CAPA showed that in FY16, at least 1.3 million passengers flew to the US via airports in the Persian Gulf, and accounted for 49 per cent of the 2.69 million passengers between the two countries.
An overwhelming 82 per cent of passengers to the US travelled via the Gulf, Europe or East Asia. Gulf airlines, especially Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, carried the bulk of the 49 per cent flown on the route, an indication of their dominance in the market. About 27 per cent of US-bound passengers flew via Europe and 6.2 per cent via airports in East Asia. The data are for one-way traffic to the US.

The proportion of flyers from Mumbai and Delhi who travel (one stop) via the Gulf is 30-40 per cent. In case of Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai, the share is 53-63 per cent.

Air India and United Airlines operate non-stop flights from Mumbai and Delhi to the US, which could explain the relatively lower share of one-stop traffic.

Of the 2.69 million passengers, only 468,000 flew non-stop to the US on Air India or United flights. The share of non-stop traffic was around 17.4 per cent of the traffic on the India-US routes.

The US’ decision could see a shift of traffic from Gulf airlines to Air India, Jet Airways and European airlines. Jet Airways does not have a non-stop flight to the US but has code-share partnerships with Air France, KLM and Delta, enabling passengers to travel via Europe. Air India is planning to launch a non-stop Delhi-Washington service from July, expanding its US network. Its share of traffic has increased in the past year with the launch of a Delhi-San Francisco flight.
23/03/17 Anurag Phadnis/Business Standard

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Ban on laptops, iPads in US-bound flights: Here is how Indian travellers will be affected

In another few days, US-bound flights from 10 airports in the Middle East will start banning laptops and other big electronic devices from cabin baggage. Travellers boarding a flight at these airports, or even those who have a connecting flight passing through these airports, will be able to carry large electronic devices only in the check-in baggage.

There is no clarity on why the US government has decided to implement this rule but the said reason is that this is to prevent terrorist attacks. The UK has followed with its own directive although the airports from where it is banning laptops etc in check-in baggage are in some occasions different compared from the list that the US has. For example, the Dubai airport is part of the US list but not the UK one.

Although, the move -- despite its security overtones -- has baffled experts who hint that it might have been done to help US airlines, which are facing touch challenge from the ones in the Middle East. After he became the US president, Donald Trump reportedly spoke to representatives from US airlines and agreed that the market condition for the US carriers was unfair.
Although primarily the move will affect the travellers in Middle East, it is also going to impact the travellers from India in a big big way because a lot of Indian travellers use Middle East airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways.
The US government says that there is an increase in the threat level at 10 airports and hence it needs to take some measures.  "The US government is concerned about terrorists' ongoing interest in targeting commercial aviation... The enhancement in security will require that all personal electronic devices larger than a cell phone or smart phone be placed in checked baggage. Approved medical devices may be brought into the cabin after additional screening."
The ban will come into effect in the next few days. "Airlines were notified on March 21st at 3:00 am. EDT. They have 96 hours within which to comply," the US government notes.

Which are the affected airports?
According to the US government, these airports are: Queen Alia International Airport, Cairo International Airport, Ataturk International Airport, King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, King Khalid International Airport, Kuwait International Airport, Mohammed V Airport, Hamad International Airport, Doha, Dubai International Airport, and Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Of these the airports in Dubai, Jordan and Abu Dhabi are of particular interest to Indian travellers.
What all has been banned?
According to the US government, carrying the following items in cabin baggage is now banned:
-- Laptops
-- Tablets
-- E-Readers
-- Cameras
-- Portable DVD players
-- Electronic game units larger than a smartphone
-- Travel printers and scanners
23/03/17 India Today

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US ban on carry-on e-gadgets will hit Indian travellers hard

Mumbai: One out of every two passengers who fly from India to the US transit through airports in the Middle East like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and from Saturday they will need to check in all electronic devices sized larger than a smart phone like laptops, tablets, e-readers, cameras, electronic games, DVD players, etc. Apart from not having their personal device for work or entertainment at airport lounges and on board ultra-long haul flights, air travellers will have to worry about the possibility of their e-gadgets getting lost, misplaced or stolen from their checked-in bags.
On Friday, the US department of homeland security banned "all personal electronic devices larger than a cell phone or smart phone'' from the carry on bags (bags carried on board by the flyer) 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. Airlines were notified by the US government at 3am EDT (12.30pm IST, Friday) about the ban and have been given 96 hours within which to comply.
As for the passengers who transit from any of these airports, they will have to pack their electronic goods into their check-in bag at their airport of origin.
So a passenger booked on a Mumbai-Dubai-Dallas flight will have to check in the laptop at Mumbai itself. The new security measures don't apply to passengers booked on Air India. But those booked on Jet Airways will need to check if their flights will transit through any of the above listed airports.
23/03/17 Times of India

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Ban on cabin gadgets to impact Hyderabad fliers too, many say work will suffer

Hyderabad: The city might not have any direct connectivity with the US, yet several passengers flying to the other end of the globe might now have to 'check-in' their electronic gadgets at the time of boarding their flight from here, much like those headed to the UK.

The reason being the US and UK governments' recent move to ban devices such as tablets, portable DVD players, laptops and cameras from being carried as cabin baggage.The rule, implemented for `security' reasons, applies to passengers booked on nine carriers -Emirates, Etihad, Kuwait Airways, Qatar and Saudi Airways being among them - and flying out of certain countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Morocco and Qatar.
"On the face of it, the move appears to be ridiculous. Travelling to these far away nations includes a lot of transit time that, professionals like me, spend getting work done. But if we aren't allowed to carry our laptops or i-pads then what are we going to do?" asked Anoop Shastry, a senior-level executive with a city advertising firm.
There is heavy traffic to the Gulf countries from Hyderabad, which has multiple services to destinations such as Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.From there people continue their onward journey either to Europe or the US. The most sought-after airlines are Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.
23/03/17 Times of India

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Air India flight grounded in London after bird hit

Ahmedabad/London: National carrier Air India on Thursday said its Ahmedabad-London-Newark flight was grounded in London after a bird hit the aircraft.

"AI-171 Ahmedabad-London-Newark flight was grounded due to bird hit incident yesterday (Wednesday). Due to this unfortunate incident, London Newark and Newark London flight is cancelled," Air India said in a statement.

"Due to the bird hit, the nose of the aircraft is damaged and also the radome. Flight is grounded in London and maintenance/repair work is going on," it added.

"Engineering department is hopeful that the aircraft will be ready for next schedule, that is, from London to Ahmedabad," it said.
23/03/17 IANS/Economic Times

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Malaysia Airlines eyes cooperation to tap Indian market

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) anticipates more cooperation with Indian airline companies to increase the volume of tourists from India to Malaysia.
Its CEO Peter Bellew said the airline had flights between Malaysia and five Indian cities – Bangalore, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.
“All our existing permissions to the main cities in India are currently filled but we look forward to future cooperation with Indian carriers to ensure additional tourists to Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
“The recent equalisation of passenger service charges for Asean customers had led to a 15% increase in customers on those routes.”
“We look forward to the further equalisation on Indian and other international routes which will assist the 51 airlines at KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) operate on an equal basis with the carriers at KLIA2 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2).”
Bellew said MAS was grateful for the continued assistance by Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz and Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai in helping all airlines in Malaysia gain additional seat rights to operate in India.
22/03/17 Free Malaysia Today

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A-G clears the air on Fiji-India codeshare

The Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Public Enterprises, Civil Service, Aviation and Communications, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, cleared the air as to why a codeshare agreement was not signed with Air India.

Fiji currently has a code share agreement with India's Jet Airways, but according to Opposition parliamentarian Viliame Gavoka, Air India has a lot wider spread in particular within India itself.

"We have no problem with Air India and in fact we wanted to do codeshare with both of them, but Air India wanted exclusivity," Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.

"They said you do a codeshare with us and don't do codeshare with any other airlines in India.

"We told this to the Prime Minister of India and the honourable minister and his officials were actually quite astounded at that."
23/03/17 Faria Begum/Fiji Times

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Indians no longer need to pay RM370 to visit M'sia

Kuala Lumpur: A new visa scheme for Indian tourists, aimed at increasing their numbers, will be introduced on April 1.
Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the new scheme would see Indian tourists only paying US$20 (RM88.50) for a 15-day visit.

Approval, he said, would be within 48 hours.

Nazri said the announcement would be made during the Prime Minister's official trip to India next month.

Earlier, he blamed the fees charged for the e-visa application for Indian tourists as one of the factors leading to the drop in ­visitors.

He said the company managing the e-visa applications charged an additional RM270 per application apart from the RM108 payable to the Malaysian and Indian governments.

"Countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are visa-free for Indian tourists.
23/03/17 Daily Express

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Body of Indian woman stranded at Istanbul airport since 10 days, as officials can't read marking on coffin

New Delhi: Sushant Shahi is waiting for his mother. He knows she isn't alive, but wants to say a final goodbye. A Danish citizen of Indian origin, Rita Shahi had left the cosy hills of Dehradun in Uttarakhand years ago to settle in the Scandinavian country. However, she wished to be cremated according to Hindu rituals.
"My mother suffered a massive stroke on March 6," said Sushant. "It took around 10 days to complete the formalities and the medical examinations in Denmark itself before we could get her home." While Rita's body was put on a flight, Sushant and his wife boarded a different aircraft to fly to India.
"We were shocked to learn at Delhi airport that her coffin had not arrived," Sushant said. "We were told that the coffin was detained at the Istanbul airport, where it had to be loaded on to the flight bound for Delhi. I was told that Istanbul airport authorities had claimed that they were not able to read Danish and that new documents, translated in English, must be provided before they could release the body to be flown to Delhi."
Rita's husband Surya Bikram Shahi, a noted social activist from the Gorkha community in Dehradun, is still waiting to see her for the last time Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh asked this newspaper on Wednesday to assure the family that he would make sure that the Indian embassy takes care of the issue.
"I want to tell the bereaved family that all help possible will be coming to them from the Indian embassy. No problems should come their way from now on," Singh told Mail Today when apprised of the matter. Rita obtained Danish citizenship after she found employment in the country's medical sector. Sushant was with his mother, studied there and also found employment in the Nordic nation.
23/03/17 Siddhartha Rai/India Today

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India business leaders plan to avoid Gulf carriers in flights to the US

Mumbai: Business leaders and companies in India say they are planning to avoid flying to the US on Gulf carriers so they can carry their laptops and tablets on board with them, even if it means paying more for tickets.

The US has imposed a ban on devices bigger than a smartphone in cabin baggage on flights from eight countries in the Middle East region including the UAE and Qatar.

"I won’t travel with those airlines via the Gulf anymore," said Asoke K Laha, the founder and chief executive of InterraIT in India, a California-based IT company, who flies to the US regularly via Abu Dhabi with Jet Airways and Etihad Airways in business class. "I need my laptop. I read books on the iPad."

He would opt to fly with United Airlines or with Lufthansa via Europe instead, he said.

In addition, he plans to ask his employees to avoid travelling via the Middle East, even if the fares are more expensive on alternative routes.

"All of them have laptops, iPads and they need to work on the plane," Mr Laha said.

India is a key market for Gulf airlines that they have been heavily focusing on in terms of expanding their capacity, as rising incomes are leading to Indians taking more trips abroad. With a population of more than 1.2 billion, India has enormous scope for growth in travel demand.


Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways all carry passengers from India to the US via their Gulf hubs.

These airlines are likely to experience a negative effect in terms of India bookings to the United States because of the move, while other airlines "will get the benefit", said Archit Gupta, the chief executive of Atom Aviation Services in India.

United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Air India and Lufthansa are among the airlines that offer alternative routes to the US from India, which would allow passengers to carry their laptops and other devices with them on flights. Jet Airways, in which Etihad owns a 24 per cent stake, also offers flights to the US via Europe.
22/03/17 Rebecca Bundhun/The National

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Device ban opens US/UK skies for carriers of exempt countries

New Delhi: The Trump administration and the British government’s decision to not allow passengers flying from certain airports in West Asia and Africa to carry their personal electronic devices in cabin baggage could open an opportunity for Singapore Airlines, Air India and other carriers.

David Lim, General Manager India, Singapore Airlines, told BusinessLine, that “some Indian customers will switch (to Singapore Airlines for its non-stop service connecting Singapore and San Francisco),” but he was equally clear that the airline will not market the ban. “I do not think we will market it by saying fly Singapore Airlines and you can use your laptop or iPad. We will always focus on connectivity, convenience and service. This is how we will also market our flights to the American West Coast, irrespective of the ban.”

Vinod Hejmadi, Director (Finance) Air India, was of the opinion that the ban could help the airline increase the passengers it carries in business and first class.

Kapil Kaul, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, feels the ban could result in a business-class shift in passenger traffic, but this is not expected to be anything significant except for serious passenger inconvenience. According to him, it is likely to be a short-term measure.

Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association’s calculations show the British ban will impact about 393 scheduled passenger flights per week, or about 2.7 per cent of the total international scheduled passenger flights to the UK, while the Trump administration’s move will impact about 350 scheduled flights a week, or about 2 per cent of total international flights to America.
22/03/17 Business Line

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US, UK ban on electronics in cabin not to affect Air India services

New Delhi: Director-Finance of Air India Vinod Hejmadi on Wednesday said the recent ban imposed by the United States and United Kingdom on carriage of I-pads and Laptops will not affect the passengers of Air India who travel through four daily non-stop operations. Hejmadi said the rule will not be applied on the passengers travelling through the national carrier from here through the non-stop flight to the four cities in United States viz New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco.
Apart from this, the ban will also be not applicable on the one-stop operations from Ahmedabad to Newark via London.
“Air India is closely watching the developments and the impact of the ban on the U.S. Routes. It is felt that the recent development will have a positive impact on Air India,” said Hejmadi.
He also added that the ban may help Air India to improve their load factors in the premium segment i.e F and J class.
“The USP of the national carrier has been its non-stop operations to U.S. with the B777 aircraft and has been very popular with the Indian diaspora for its non-stop connectivity. The load factors of Air India on the U.S. routes have been consistently above 80%. Even the travel in F and J class has been very good,” he said.
This statement came after news surfaced that of an al-Qaeda affiliate is perfecting the techniques for hiding explosives in batteries and battery compartments of electronic devices.
The intelligence received has led the United States and United Kingdom to ban devices larger than a cellphone from certain flights.
22/03/17 ANI/Financial Express

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Ban on laptops, tabs on flights set to hurt techies

Bengaluru: Directi CEO Bhavin Turakhia travels to Dubai, San Francisco and Los Angeles on work regularly. Emirates and Etihad are his preferred airlines. He says the US and UK ban on passengers carrying electronic devices -anything bigger than a cellphone -in their cabin baggage on flights originating in the Middle East will inconvenience him enormously and he may be forced to look at other airline options.
"It's a 14-hour flight to San Francisco or Los Angeles and I spend most of that time working on my laptop," said Turakhia, who travels first class. He, along with his brother Divyank, has business interests spanning the US, Dubai and India.
Last year, he sold one of their companies -Media.net -to a Chinese consortium for $900 million. Turakhia said he may now look at British Airways, Lufthansa or Singapore Airlines "though none of them is as good as Etihad or Emirates."
The new US rule applies to ten airports in eight co untries in the Middle East, including the Dubai International Airport that has emerged as a major transit hub for Indians travelling to the US, including for many IT professionals from cities like Bengaluru. Hours after the Trump administration's an nouncement, the United Kingdom, too, made a similar decision. Passengers flying directly to Britain from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey will be banned from taking laptops and tablet computers into the plane cabin, the UK government announced.
While some IT professionals said they would be inconvenienced without a laptop or iPad, some said "work" was not their major concern. "We can at best respond to some pending emails, but we can't code midair. Any technical work requires us to collaborate with the teams on ground, hence it's not very productive working onboard," said an IT professional working with an Indian IT firm.
The bigger concern for many is about the possible theft and damage to their gadgets if those go into checkedin baggage.
22/03/17 Avik Das & Anand J/Times of India

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In-flight restrictions: Connecting flights to US via Gulf not a great idea

New Delhi: Indian passengers headed to the US will be inconvenienced by the new Trump administration order regarding carriage of certain electronic devices on US-bound flights from West Asian (Middle East) and North African countries even though India does not feature on the restriction list.

Travellers headed to the US from eight Muslim-majority countries in West Asia and North Africa, including from major global hubs like Dubai, have been barred from carrying electronic devices larger than a cell phone, like cameras and laptops, as cabin baggage under a new flight restriction enacted on Tuesday by the Trump administration.

Since, under the new order, all US-bound passengers originating or transiting through airports like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Doha will have to carry any electronic devices larger than a smartphone in checked luggage only, this could mean that any Indian passengers, who have historically travelled to the US via these hubs, would have to look for direct flights.
While this might prove beneficial for certain airlines, like Air India which operates direct flights to the US and expects more passenger traffic to come its way as a result of the restrictions, it will mean that Indian passengers will have fewer options in terms of the airline they can take and ticket pricing.
The number of Indians who travel to the US via the Gulf is not small either. According to a Centre for Aviation report of 2015, passengers from India account for a third of all passengers on Gulf airlines' US routes. Further, of the two top carriers on the India-US routes, Air India and Emirates, the latter will be hit by the restrictions.
22/03/17 Business Today

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Ethiopian Airlines to Launch Cargo Services to Ahmedabad

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest cargo operator in Africa, announced the addition of Ahmedabad, a fifth cargo gateway to India, to its global cargo network as of March 28, 2017.

Ahmedabad, India’s second oldest stock exchange and largest producer of cotton, is an emerging economic and industrial hub of India, inhabiting a population of more than six million.

Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said:

“Ethiopian cargo service to India dates back to the early 90’s; launching our first cargo station in Mumbai. Complementing the booming economic relations between India and the African continent at large, we have made available dependable cargo services to Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and now to Ahmedabad; our fifth Cargo Gateway to India.

“While operating in the major trade lanes between Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia, our cargo network is efficiently linking the Indian sub-continent and Africa farther with China and Hong Kong; providing the Indian market with minimum weekly import capacity of 240 tons per week. I believe our new services to Ahmedabad will further strengthen the existing trade and commercial ties between the two fastest growing regions of the world.”
22/03/17 Aviation Tribune

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India's Alliance Air considering int'l ops

Alliance Air (India) is planning to make its international debut in the coming months with flights to Sri Lanka.

The regional director of parent carrier Air India's southern region, Captain S Arulman, told The New Indian Express flights from Madurai to Colombo Int'l are currently in the planning process.

Alliance Air currently operates two ATR42-300s and eight ATR72-600s on scheduled passenger flights to thirty-four destinations across India.
22/03/17 ch-aviation

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Air India Won't Oppose Qatar Airways Bid to Set Up Airline in India: Ashwani Lohani

New Delhi: What is Air India's focus area this year?

The key objective is expansion and consolidation. About 35 planes would come this year and we have to fly them. Of these, six will be long-haul planes which will go international with one return flight a day. We are participating aggressively in government's regional connectivity scheme Udan. We have ordered 10 ATRs and we are ordering 10 more this year so our ATR fleet would become 30 by end of 2017. In the next two years, we are looking to add 20-25 planes so I will have a 50-plane airline in the country.

Some more international connections are being planned--Washington, Scandinavian countries. Israel is under consideration. We will be increasing frequency to Australia on existing routes. Then we are working to improve our services still further. We will improve our food further, staff should become more aggressive--in marketing, we have become very aggressive. And we want to keep on earning higher operating profits. Air India has almost come on track, we just have to find a solution to the huge debt we have.

You have been very vocal on several issues including massive debt burden piled onto the airline?

We have to run the organization openly. If you are working with honesty and commitment and not looking for a single illegal penny, then why should we not speak openly? I will.
21/03/17 Tarun Shukla/Mcclatchy

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India airline move to support Doha’s aviation hub plan

After a long turbulent patch, India’s aviation industry is finally taking off.
The country is projected to be the world’s third-largest aviation market by 2020 and the largest by 2030. The increase in local air passenger traffic – estimated to reach half a billion in a decade – has outpaced all other markets for 22 straight months. The growth has been helped by demand from middle-class travellers in smaller cities, and encouraged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vow to fund airlines’ losses if they fly to remote areas.
Last year, India became one of the few countries in the world to allow a 100% foreign-owned airline to operate on local routes. Foreigners now can own all of an Indian airline, but an overseas carrier can only control 49%.
Qatar Airways, in collaboration with the Qatar Investment Authority, will apply “soon” to authorities in India to start a short-haul airline there with a fleet of 100 narrow-body planes, chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker said at the recent ITB Berlin travel fair.
The economic engine of the Gulf region practically runs on an estimated 8.5mn strong Indian workforce (two-thirds of Indian citizens living abroad are in Gulf states), with the bulk of these coming from Kerala. In providing options for air connectivity for the Indian diaspora, especially for those from the southern regions, the Gulf carriers offer a deeper understanding of the market – and broader destination choices – than their East Asian rivals such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, according to a Bloomberg column.
The plan to start an Indian carrier, potentially focusing on the south, could make ample sense for Doha’s long-term strategy to become the preferred regional hub connecting South Asia. Once the new carrier deploys 20 aircraft on domestic routes, it’ll get the Indian government’s permission to fly international routes.
There will be air pockets, though.
Despite India’s world-beating aviation growth, as many as 17 Indian carriers have shut down in the past two decades, while accumulated losses of operating airlines total Rs600bn, according to a 2016 research paper. The state-run Air India is crumbling under a $7bn debt load. Provincial taxes of as much as 30% make jet fuel in India the costliest in Asia, even as cut-throat competition forces airlines to sell tickets below cost.
21/03/17 Gulf Times

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New US flight rules: Indian authorities await official word

New Delhi: Indian aviation authorities will wait for official communication from the US before deciding on whether to issue any travel advisory following the American government's ban on big electronic devices in cabin baggage on flights from select Middle East and African nations.

In a new order, the American government has barred travellers going to the US on flights from select countries from carrying large electronic devices like cameras and laptops as cabin baggage.

As per the restrictions, passengers would have to check-in any devices bigger than a smartphone -- including iPads, Kindles and laptops -- before clearing security or boarding.

The latest decision of the US administration is "more of a security issue rather than a safety issue", a senior DGCA official told PTI.
21/03/17 PTI/Economic Times

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India loves Nepal, KLM, and Jet Airways

Indian tourists love to travel to the country’s various states and are fascinated with their Nepal neighbors, the largest Himalayan state in Asia. The famous and sacred Pashupatinath Temple is a tourist favorite both day and night and is located on the banks of the Bagmati River northeast of Kathmandu Valley.
To meet the demand, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, flag carrier airline of The Netherlands, is expanding its codeshare with Jet Airways with a start date of April 15 of this year.
The airline will grow domestic routes within India and add routes to Nepal. New codeshare routes are Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Kathmandu, Delhi-Lucknow, and Delhi-Pune as well as Mumbai-Coimbatore, Mumbai-Kathmandu, Mumbai-Lucknow, Mumbai-Pune, and Mumbai-Vadodara.
21/03/17 eTurboNews

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Air India may launch direct flight from Amritsar to Birmingham

New Delhi: Government-owned Air India is looking to launch a direct flight service to Birmingham  from Amritsar, Parliament was informed today.

Air India is examining modalities for launching this (Amritsar-Birmingham) flight, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The national carrier currently operates a flight from Amritsar to Birmingham via Delhi.

The airline has already announced its plans to add six new international destinations this year including Tel Aviv, Washington and Copenhagen, among others.
21/03/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Two Indian men sentenced for smuggling foreign nationals

Two Indian men were sentenced to 17 months in prison by a New Jersey judge, for illegally transporting foreign nationals into the United States from India.

The Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced the sentences of Nileshkumar Patel, 42, and Harsad Mehta, 67, who previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini.
Each of them had been charged with one count of conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Judge Martini imposed the sentences today in Newark federal court.

According to court documents and other evidence,Patel and Mehta admitted that from June 2013 through October 2015, they recruited Indian nationals, bringing them to live in the United States illegally.

In one case, on July 24, 2014, they brought two Indian nationals to Bangkok, Thailand, so that they could be transported into the United States. They also admitted paying an individual – who was actually an undercover officer – to transport the foreign nationals from Thailand into Newark.
21/03/17 News India

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Airlines improve connections between India and Asia Pacific

India’s Jet Airways and Singapore-based Jetstar Asia have announced plans for a codeshare agreement that will create a series of new travel opportunities between India and multiple Asian and Australian destinations, via Singapore.

Jet will place its 9W flight code on Jetstar’s flights operating from Singapore to 11 destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Perth, Darwin, Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Hong Kong. Three of these – Darwin, Phuket and Penang – will be entirely new destinations for the Indian carrier.

These services will connect at Singapore’s Changi Airport with Jet’s services to and from four Indian cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru.
20/03/17 Mark Elliott/Travel Daily Media

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Oman Air launches direct daily Salalah-Kozhikode flights

Oman's national carrier will start a new daily direct flight between Salalah, a southern Omani city and Kozhikode in Kerala from next week, the airline said.

This will be in addition to Oman Air's flight service between Muscat and Kozhikode which is the latest destination in the airline's fleet and network expansion programme.

The new direct service will start from March 27 and the three-and-a-half hour flight will depart Salalah at 01.10 hrs and arrive in Kozhikode at 06.20 hrs.

The return flight will leave Kozhikode at 07.00 hrs and arrive in Salalah at 09.15 hrs (local time), the airline said in a statement.

The daily service will be operated by a Boeing 737-800.
20/03/17 PTI/DNA

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Enter Qatar: India Is Losing The Aviation And Airports War To Gulf-Based Carriers

A proposal from Qatar Airways to start a 100 per cent-owned domestic airline in India is likely to prove contentious, not least due to opposition from domestic players like Indigo and Jet, who claim the field is tilted against them. Among other things, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) is likely to cry foul over three issues: one, that Qatar does not give Indian carriers the right to start a domestic airline in that country; that no country allows 100 per cent foreign ownership in a domestic airline, and, three, that this will shift international traffic to a hub in West Asia, and out of India. After Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines, who have created hubs for international traffic from India in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Qatar will create another hub in its capital Doha. Jet Airways survives because it plays feeder airline to Etihad in Abu Dhabi after being rescued from near-death by the latter.

Most of these arguments are protectionist. For example, what growth will Indian carriers get by operating in Doha, which does not have a huge domestic market worth speaking about? Secondly, how does India gain by not allowing 100 per cent foreign ownership? Wasn’t this the exact ownership limitation that drowned Kingfisher Airlines? Under current rules, a foreign airline can own 49 per cent directly, and foreign non-airline interests the balance. Qatar’s domestic Indian operations will be 100 per cent foreign-owned through the subterfuge, but then most Indian airlines too have NRI or foreign ownership whose ultimate ownership is often shrouded in mystery. The third point – that the hub will move out of India – holds some water, but for that we have ourselves to blame not the Qataris.

The global passenger hub is moving out of India not because Gulf-based carriers are deliberately favoured by Indian policies, but because we have not got our overall policy mix right. We charge huge premia for both fuel and airport infrastructure, while the UAE-based carriers benefit from their competitive advantage in both these areas.

To win in aviation, you need huge investments in airport infrastructure, so that airlines can be attracted to land here and create hubs. The airline business is a thin-margin one, and to succeed in it, you need to focus on lowering your costs on all fronts. This is precisely what our policies fail to do.
The mantra for success involves getting costs down in six areas: the key costs are CASK – or cost per available seat kilometre, which is the basic cost of offering one seat for a given distance in km. Then there is the cost of debt, fuel, maintenance, total flying time, and airport landing and parking costs.
20/03/17 R Jagannathan/Swarajya

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Modalities of 100% FDI in civil aviation being worked out: Jayant Sinha

Minister of state for civil aviation, Jayant Sinha tells CNBC-TV18 that foreign carriers are interested in coming to India and he would welcome any foreign direct investment in the aviation sector.

Talking to Ashpreet Sethi of CNBC-TV18 he said that he is willing to offer land clearances to foreign companies for maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) set up.

He said that modalities of 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in civil aviation are being worked out.

On the topic of Qatar Airways setting domestic airline in India, he said that no talks have been initiated with the company.
17/03/17 CNBC-TV18

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Etihad withdraws A380 from Mumbai airport

Mumbai airport’s joy of hosting three of the world’s largest aircraft, the Airbus A380, each day – the only airport in the country to do so – is going to be short-lived, with Etihad announcing the withdrawal of these aircrafts in Mumbai-Abu Dhabi circuit.

Though airport sources said the A380 service was being withdrawn owing to low demand for premium service in the market, the airline said the 496-seater aircraft is being withdrawn temporarily from Mumbai route as part of its “seasonal” adjustments.

“The adjustments are part of Etihad Airways’ seasonal planning of schedules based on market demand. Due to the capacity change, any affected guests will be re-protected on other flights to their final destination,” the airline said in a statement.

The airline is redeploying the aircraft to the Abu Dhabi-Paris route from July 1hoping it will attract premium passengers.

Last year, the Mumbai international Airport Ltd (MIAL) had improved airport infrastructure by adding additional Code F aerobridges (capable of simultaneously allowing entry and exit of passengers from both the upper and lower decks) to accommodate these large aircraft as each of them carry about 400 passengers in one go, thus reducing pressure on an overstretched airport like Mumbai.
18/03/17 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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No plans of final assembly line for large aircraft now: Airbus

New Delhi: Airbus, which is setting up a fully-owned training centre for pilots and maintenance engineers here, today said it has no plans to set up a final assembly line for large commercial aircraft in India in the immediate future.
However, Airbus could have an assembly line for helicopters and military aircraft, going forward, CEO Tom Enders said.
"We have no plans to put a final assembly line of large commercial aircraft into each and every market. But on the other hand, I would acknowledge too that in future, there could be final assembly line for large aircraft," Enders told reporters.
"There will certainly be assembly line for helicopters and military aircraft if our plans come to fruition in the not too distant future."
Emphasising that an assembly line is just 5-6 per cent value added of an aircraft, Enders said, "We need to be more focused on developing activities and engineering capabilities."
Earlier, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the Airbus India Training Centre (AITC), which along with the Airbus India headquarters, is coming up at the Aerocity - Terminal District of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here.
"We have only scratched the surface when it comes to the growth of civil aviation in India. This training centre will be the first such facility fully owned by us in Asia," Enders said.
Speaking at the event, Raju urged the aircraft maker to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in the country as well and promised all kind of assistance required to carry out the project.
17/02/17 PTI/India Today

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Airbus India Training Centre to take wings by 2018-end

New Delhi: French aircraft manufacturer Airbus today began work on its first fully-owned training centre in Asia, with the ground-breaking ceremony at Aerocity, near Indira Gandhi International Airport here. Vistara, the joint-venture airline of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, became the first airline to sign an agreement with Airbus to train its pilots at the centre.
Vistara said it had signed a five-year agreement with Airbus Group India Pvt Ltd to provide training to its pilots for the A320 aircraft.
Airbus India Training Centre (AITC) brings state-of-the-art technology to India for the training of flight crew. It is equipped with latest software that accurately simulates the aircraft-handling characteristics and system responses.
The ground-breaking ceremony was performed by Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Tom Enders, CEO, Airbus. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha was also present.
Airbus said it has no plans to set up a final assembly line for large commercial aircraft in India in the immediate future. However, Airbus could have an assembly line for helicopters and military aircraft, going forward, CEO Tom Enders said. “We have no plans to put a final assembly line of large commercial aircraft into each and every market. But on the other hand, I would acknowledge too that in future, there could be final assembly line for large aircraft,” Enders said.
India is the fastest growing domestic aviation market in the world and is expected to continue growing at an annual rate of 9.3% over the next 20 years, outpacing the world average of 4.6%. The number of trips per capita in India is expected to quadruple by 2035 due to a combination of economic and demographic factors.
18/03/17 Tribune

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Air Asia resumes cargo service

Tiruchi: Days after it suspended lifting overseas cargo, foreign carrier Air Asia resumed lifting freight from the Tiruchi international airport on Friday.

Three shipments meant for different destinations were dispatched by the morning Kuala Lumpur-bound flight much to the relief of stakeholders. Air Asia, which operates three flights a day from Tiruchi to Kuala Lumpur and back, stopped lifting overseas freight from last Saturday putting exporters and other stakeholders in a quandary. Airport sources said that among the three overseas shipments dispatched on Friday, one was fabrics bound for Brunei. The remaining two shipments were perishables bound for Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
18/03/17 The Hindu

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SpiceJet Chief's Views On Qatar Airways' India Entry

SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh told NDTV Profit that the views of the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which includes all the four major airlines (Jet Airways, IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet) as well as the national carrier (Air India), on impending entry of Qatar Airways are similar as there is no country in the world that allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in aviation. These policies should be on the basis of reciprocity and we should only allow airlines or countries into India if they allow us the same privilege, he added.

"If the objective of the government with 100 per cent FDI was to get investment to the country, then this will not get any investment as when you set up an airline, essentially you lease aircraft and this will be done from outside India," Mr Singh said. The aviation sector in India is one of the most competitive sectors in the world with "the highest costs and the lowest fares" and we must be assured a "level playing field" so that the sector can grow and prosper, he added.
18/03/17 NDTV

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Airbus begins work on pilot training hub

Buoyed by orders from entities in this country, European aircraft maker Airbus is opening a pilot training centre here. Work on this was inaugurated on Friday at a site which is part of the international airport; it will be operational by the end of 2018.

It will house two simulators of the A320 for pilots from customer airlines. Which includes Vistara, IndiGo and GoAir. “We have only scratched the surface on civil aviation in India. The training centre will be the first such facility fully owned by us in Asia,” said Tom Enders, global chief executive officer (CEO) of Airbus.

India has a little more than 200 of Airbus' planes in operation; there is also an order backlog of about 520 of its A320neo, giving it a market share of 70 per cent in service.

On an average, Airbus will deliver one aircraft each week here over the next 10 years. Market leader IndiGo, budget carrier GoAir and full service airline Vistara are all Airbus clients and have ordered the A320 neo.
18/03/17 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

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India, Russia sign two agreements for Sukhois’ maintenance

India and Russia on Friday signed two agreements for long-term support to the Su-30 MKI fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which is expected to improve the maintenance and serviceability of the aircraft.

One of the agreements, signed between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that produces Su-30 MKI under licence, and PJSC United Aircraft Corporation of Russia, is for the supply of spares and technical assistance for five years.

The second agreement was signed by HAL with JSC United Engine Corporation for the supply of spares for engines of Russian origin.

India has around 230 Su-30 MKIs, designed by the Irkut Corporation specifically for India and produced by HAL at Nashik, Maharashtra. India has overall ordered for 272 Su-30 MKIs.

The frontline strike fighter of the Indian Air Force has suffered serviceability problems in the past.

A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in December 2015 said Su-30 MKI aircraft with the IAF suffer from poor serviceability, which is just around 55 per cent against the prescribed norm of 75 per cent.

In January 2017, the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the serviceability of the fighters has improved, and is now at 60 per cent. Informed sources said the present serviceability of the Su-30 MKI fleet is between 60 and 65 per cent.
17/03/17 Indileak

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Qatar Airways' proposal would be allowed only after proper examination: Aviation secy

New Delhi: The government today said any proposal by Qatar Airways for FDI would be allowed only after proper examination, said a top government official today.

"In general, we welcome FDI. As far as a specific proposal is concerned that proposal has to follow the approval route... I can not predict that. The government process will examine," aviation Secretary R N Choubey told reporters today in response to whether a foreign airline with an investment partner can own 100 per cent of an airline in India.

The statement assumes significance, as Indian carriers had registered a protest to the government on an announcement by Qatar Airways to launch an airline in India.
17/03/17 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Mahindra in race for airliner project: Russia

Chennai: Russian Minister for Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said here on Thursday that the aerospace unit of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. is being considered to manufacture of parts for the Russian airliner, Irkut MC-21, in India.

“Currently, we are working on another civil aviation project apart from the Sukhoi Superjet [100]. This is the MC-21, which is scheduled to have its first flight soon. Tomorrow [Friday], we are having talks with the Indian aerospace company Mahindra & Mahindra, which is currently our partner for manufacturing interiors for the Sukhoi Superjet. We think they can also be partners for the MC-21 project, both manufacturing some components and producing interiors,” said Mr. Manturov, speaking through a translator.

Mr. Manturov was addressing a joint press conference with Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. The interaction took place post-inauguration of the sixth International Engineering Sourcing Show, a three-day event being organised at the Chennai Trade Centre.
17/03/17 The Hindu

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Qatar Airways Offers Up To 15% Discounts On SBI Cards

Mumbai: State Bank of India and Qatar Airways on Thursday entered into a partnership to offer the bank's corporate and retail cardholders up to 15 per cent discount on business class tickets and up to 10 per cent discount on economy fares to the US, Europe and Africa.

The offer is on both debit and credit cards and is valid for bookings done on or before April 7 for travel until September 30, the national carrier of Qatar said in a statement.

Naveen Chawla, Qatar Airways senior manager for the Subcontinent said this partnership provides them a platform to leverage SBI's massive corporate customer base.
16/03/17 PTI/NDTV

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Megawide, partner ready to bid for more infrastructure projects

Megawide Construction Corp. and its partner GMR Infrastructures Ltd. are open to participate in an “honest and healthy competition” in the aviation-infrastructure development sector, even after figuring in a controversial fight for the right to develop the Clark International Airport.

Louie B. Ferrer, the president of GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., described today’s investing atmosphere as “very exciting times” given the level of concentration for infrastructure projects and the level of participation from the private sector.

“It’s a sign our economy is growing and we are keeping up,” he said. “It is a good climate for development because we are open to honest and healthy competition. That drives up the quality of the proposals because we want to offer only the best services.”

Ferrer reminded the government of its mandate to be transparent and fair in its dealings with proponents of infrastructure deals. This is especially true for contracts under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program.
16/03/17 Lorenz S. Marasigan/Business Mirror

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Airbus not looking to buy Pawan Hans stake

New Delhi: European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is not looking at “buying directly” Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited (PHHL), the state owned helicopter operator in which the Government plans to divest its stake.

“We monitor who (will) be associated with it….who will buy it. I think it will be an attractive proposition for investors. Having said that we are not looking to buying directly,” Pierre de Bausset, President and Managing Director, Airbus India, said pointing out that Airbus manufactures helicopters but is not an operator of helicopters. The process of PHHL’s divestment has started with the Government seeking to appoint advisors for taking the process forward.

de Bausset was speaking to the media after the ground breaking ceremony for the Airbus India Training Centre was completed by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Tom Enders, Chief Executive Officer, Airbus.

Enders added that the helicopter market in India was very important for Airbus. “We see India as a great place to not only sell helicopters but also increasingly to manufacture and assemble helicopters. Our plans for Airbus Helicopters in India are no less ambitious than that for our commercial aircraft here,” he said.
17/03/17 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Sri Lankan Airlines proposes to operate Coimbatore-Colombo flights from July 15

Coimbatore:  Sri Lankan Airlines is planning to operate four flights per week from Coimbatore to Colombo starting July 15. This will be the third international carrier flying out of the Coimbatore airport, after Air Arabia (to Sharjah) and Silk Air (to Singapore).
Director of Coimbatore Airport G Prakash Reddy confirmed to TOI that Sri Lankan Airlines has proposed to operate flights from the Coimbatore to Colombo from July 15. "The flight will operate on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The incoming flight from Colombo will arrive at 2.35pm, and it will depart for Colombo at 3.35pm," Reddy said.
Prakash Reddy on Wednesday held a meeting with the senior officials, including customs and immigration officials, to discuss the possibilities of operating a Sri Lankan Airlines flight to Colombo. Manager of government affairs, India, and a representative of Sri Lankan Airlines, Hardip Pal Singh, participated in the meeting.
16/03/17 Adarsh Jain/Times of India

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Four Sri Lankans held at CSIA with fake Indian passports

Mumbai: Immigration officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport claimed to have prevented four Sri Lankans from illegally entering the UK last week and caught four British nationals for allegedly aiding them.
The eight accused were later arrested and produced in court. They have been remanded in police custody for two days.
The Sri Lankans had been travelling with forged Indian passports, police said, as they thought they would have problems entering the UK using their Sri Lankan documents .
On March 10 night, immigration officials were tipped off that a British national, Julie Ann Warner, who was involved in human trafficking cases, would be flying from Mumbai to London on March 11 early morning on a British Airways flight.
The officials found that Earner was flying with three other British nationals who had collected their boarding passes and were about to go through Gate 78 at the terminal.
17/03/17 Srinath Rao/Indian Express

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Indian carriers fully utilising traffic rights on India-Dubai

New Delhi: Local carriers are fully utilising their allocated traffic rights on India-Dubai sector with the currently available slots at Dubai airport, the government said in Lok Sabha today.
However, as of now two private airlines -- Jet Airways and SpiceJet -- have some balanced un-utilised slots at Dubai International Airport, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said in a written reply in the House.
16/03/17 PTI/India Today

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US has no advisory on travel to India: Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday attended Parliament for the first time since she underwent a kidney transplant three months ago. Members cutting across party lines greeted her with applause.
She soon made a statement that assured support and protection for Indians in the US, following wide-spread concern over incidents of racial attack on Indians in different parts of America.She ruled out any plan to a have travel advisory for Indians travelling to the US, as demanded by some Opposition members in the LS last week, and clarified that Washington has not enforced any travel advisory for Americans visiting India.
“I would like to reassure this House...that safety and security of Indian diaspora abroad remains a top priority for this government. We are in a continuous dialogue with the US government. Close contacts with the local Indian community groups are being maintained through our embassy and consulates to address any emerging issues. We will remain vigilant to developments impacting the lives of Indians abroad and do everything possible to safeguard their interests and welfare,” Swaraj said.
16/03/17 Economic Times

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Etihad Airways to withdraw A380 services on Mumbai route

Mumbai: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways on Wednesday said that as part of its continued review of schedules, seasonal adjustments are being made to the airlines A380 services between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai.
“Effective 1 July until 28 October 2017, A380 flights EY 203 and 204 between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai will be operated by an A340-600 aircraft,” the airline said in a statement.
“The A380 will be redeployed on the Abu Dhabi-Paris route during the peak summer travel months.”
According to the company, the change will see Paris join London, New York, Melbourne and Sydney as the airline’s long haul A380 destinations.
“The adjustments are part of Etihad Airways’ seasonal planning of schedules based on market demand,” the airline said.
“Due to the capacity change, any affected guests will be reprotected on other flights to their final destination.”
15/03/17 IANS/India.com

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No foreign carrier applied to start fully-owned domestic airline: Minister

The central government has not received any application from foreign airlines to start a domestic passenger carrier through the 100 per cent FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) route, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said on Wednesday.

The minister gave the information in reply to a question raised about Qatar Airways’ plan to start a fully owned domestic passenger carrier in partnership with an institutional investor on the sidelines of an industry event here.

Earlier, Qatar Airways had said that its plan to set up an airline in India along with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.

Under the current rules a foreign airline can only invest up to 49 per cent in domestic airline. However, in partnership with an institutional investor, the foreign airline can invest and set up a 100 per cent owned domestic passenger carrier.

The minister elaborated that the government was considering stakeholders’ views before framing any policy that allows for 100 per cent FDI into domestic airlines.

“There are various opinions on this matter of 100 per cent FDI. We are considering what the Indian airlines through FIA (Federation of Indian Airlines) are saying,” Sinha told reporters.

“Of course, the government’s policies are such that we do welcome 100 per cent FDI but we are working through the exact registration process and all of the appropriate policies around that,” Sinha added.
15/03/17 Can-India

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SIA, SilkAir in codeshare tie with Vistara

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and regional subsidiary SilkAir have signed an agreement to codeshare on Indian domestic flights operated by Vistara, with effect from March 14, 2017.

The codeshare agreement is Vistara’s first with an airline group, as well as SIA’s and SilkAir’s first with an India-based domestic carrier.

Under the agreement, SIA will add its ‘SQ’ designator code to Vistara-operated flights beyond Mumbai and New Delhi to 10 Indian destinations – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kochi, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Guwahati and Port Blair – of which the last four destinations are new to SIA Group’s network of 15 destinations in India.

Meanwhile, SilkAir will add its ‘MI’ designator code to Vistara-operated flights beyond Bengaluru and Kolkata to six destinations: Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, New Delhi and Port Blair.
16/03/17 TTG Asia

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German banking major devours aviation market pie

Even as PM Narendra Modi is pushing for reforms in the economic sector, sales proceeds of air tickets to the tune of $16 billion a week are being routed through Deutsche Bank. This happens at a time when nationalised banks are eyeing a big slice of the bourgeoning aviation market pie.

A memorandum forwarded by Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman K V Thomas to the RBI says nationalised banks are mute witnesses to the big volume of aviation business being handled by the foreign bank.

To an RTI query about the average weekly turnover of Deutsche Bank, the RBI said it did not have any information. The percentage of handling charges levied by the foreign bank for processing the colossal figure is also not known.

Travel agents had been making cheque payments to International Air Transport Association (IATA) till 2016. The enormity of the transaction with Deutsche Bank came to light after agents were instructed to make direct payments to the bank last year.
16/03/17 Dhinesh Kallungal/The New Indian Express

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Govt in talks with Airbus, Boeing for training programmes

New Delhi: The government is in discussions with plane manufacturers Airbus and Boeing to set up a “finishing school” to train aircraft maintenance engineering mechanics.
The Civil Aviation Ministry’s move is a part of efforts to address the skilled manpower crunch in the domestic aviation sector, which has been growing at over 20 per cent for the last two years.
“In the form of a partnership with Airbus and Boeing, we will be launching a finishing school. Here, we will have a one-year long course where diploma holders can seek an entrance, get training and enhance their employability,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said today.
Along with Airbus and Boeing, the ministry expects to open 7-8 such centres across the country, which he said would help plug the gaps in the skill development chain.
“We expect several airlines to be a part of this, which will guarantee these students an employment after completing a structured apprenticeship programme,” Sinha said.
In due course, such a system would also help in increasing the demand for Indian Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) globally, he added.
15/03/17 India.com

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Russian Helicopters trains India in Mi-17 repairs

Russian Helicopters is training Indian aviation engineers in Mi-17-1V helicopter repair techniques at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Repair Plant owned by Russian Helicopters.

The plant is carrying out full repair of five Indian-owned Mi-17-1V helicopters. The repair works are expected to be to finished by June 2017. As part of a wider project of work, the plant will repair 30 Indian Mi-17-1V helicopters by mid-2018.
15/03/17 Shephard 

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Trafficking bid foiled, 4 Brits and 4 Lankans nabbed at T2 airport

Mumbai: : The Sahar police arrested eight foreign nationals, four each from Sri Lanka and the UK, on Wednesday for passport forgery and impersonation. Immigration officials caught the eight, including two women, from boarding gates at the international and domestic sections of Terminal 2 last Friday (March 10).
After questioning them for four days, immigration officials learnt that the UK nationals, aged 27-56, had joined the human trafficking ring to help the Lankans reach London. Apparently, entering the UK and working there using a Lankan passport is tough, said police sources, and so the four Lankans had opted for forged Indian passports.
The Lankans had reached the boarding gate of their Mumbai-London flight skipping immigration. The police suspect an airport insider's hand. Two agents who facilitated the deal, one from Mumbai and the other a Lankan, are wanted.
The police say this could be the tip of the iceberg and perhaps a big racket is going on via the city airport whereby foreigners are offered tour packages and called to India so that their identities could be used to help others to fly overseas.
16/03/17 Times of India

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Airlines go to Sitharaman with FDI concerns

New Delhi: Representatives of domestic airlines' grouping, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) on Tuesday met Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and raised concerns over a move to permit overseas players to establish carriers in the country.

The federation - comprising Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir - have been vociferous about their opposition to foreign entities being allowed to invest in local carriers.

The meeting assumes significance as it comes nearly a week after Qatar Airways announced plans to set up an airline in India, along with the Gulf nation's sovereign wealth fund.


During the meeting with the Commerce and Industry Minister, the FIA representatives flagged concerns about allowing 100 per cent ownership of local carriers by foreign entities, sources said. Among others, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh was present at the meeting. In a tweet, the commerce and industry ministry said "key stakeholders the #airlines industry" met the minister.

Last week, Singh and Jet Airways acting Chief Executive Officer Amit Agarwal had met Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey and the discussions were mainly around the 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) issue. As part of liberalising norms for overseas investments, foreign non-airline players can own up to 100 per cent stake in local carriers.
15/03/17 PTI/Business Standard

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Technical snag delays Singapore-bound flight by 18 hours

Jaipur: Over 300 passengers were stranded at Jaipur airport for 18 hours after Scoot Airlines flight from Jaipur to Singapore developed a technical snag on ground minutes before the take-off at 1.30am.
Reportedly several passengers missed their connecting flights to Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. The 18-hour-long ordeal for passengers started after many of them had boarded the flight after 1 pm.
The pilot detected some snag in the engine and averted the flight 10 minutes before the take-off. The reason for technical snag was not known but it took engineers hours to repair the engine.
Passengers who came from across the state were kept waiting from the midnight till noon when they were informed that flight will take off at 9 pm. Air India which is the official ground handler for the airlines had to face the wrath of the passengers who accused the airlines for not providing the actual and time of the flight to take-off. Though, it was difficult for the airport officials to handle 300 passengers but it did its best to assist the grounded flight and its passengers. The outstation passengers were accommodated in the nearby hotels in the morning while the locals headed to their homes. The drama erupted in the morning when some passengers who had to catch the connecting flight created ruckus.
15/03/17 Times of India

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Open skies proposal cannot be accepted now: Nepal tells India

New Delhi: Nepal has told India that the proposal for open skies cannot be accepted now as the Himalayan nation is in the process of upgrading its airport infrastructure.

Open skies policy allows countries to operate unlimited number of flights to each other's cities.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha has informed the Rajya Sabha that in the recently concluded bilateral civil aviation talks, Nepal welcomed the Indian proposal for open skies.

"However, they informed that they are in the process of upgrading existing international airport and constructing new international airports infrastructure and their civil aviation policy is also being revised.

"Hence, they are not ready to accept the open skies proposal at this stage," Sinha said in a written reply yesterday.
15/03/17 Outlook

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Vistara codeshares with Singapore Airlines, SilkAir

Mumbai: Vistara on Tuesday said it has signed codeshare agreements with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, which is a regional subsidiary of the flag carrier of the city-state.
Under the agreement, SIA will add its 'SQ' code to Vistara flights beyond Mumbai and New Delhi to 10 destinations, while SilkAir will add its 'MI' designator code to Vistara-operated flights beyond Bengaluru and Kolkata to six destinations.
The Tata-SIA joint venture Vistara operates only domestic flights currently.
As a result of the agreement, four new destinations will be added to the SIA Group's India network-- Bhubaneswar, Goa, Guwahati and Port Blair. SIA Group airlines currently serves 15 cities in the country from Singapore.
"We are very pleased with our first codeshare agreement with Vistara, which represents a strengthening of our already strong partnership," said SIA senior vice- president for marketing & planning Tan Kai Ping.
14/03/17 PTI/Zee News

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IndiGo adds Sharjah to its international destinations

New Delhi: Budget carrier IndiGo on Tuesday added Sharjah as its sixth international destination with daily non-stop flights from Kozhikode and Thiruvananthpuram in Kerala. The Sharjah-Kozhikode flight service will start from March 20 and the Sharjah-Thiruvananthpuram service will be effective from April 8, the airline said in a statement.
“With rising business and tourism stemming from the Gulf market, IndiGo (6E) is determined to provide the best travel experience to all those who wish to fly to these destinations. We are looking at providing affordable fares on these new routes for 6E travellers,” Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo told reporters in Sharjah.
With its fleet of 126 Airbus A320 family aircraft, the airline now operates 884 daily flights connecting 44 destinations.
14/03/17 Indian Express

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Choked toilets spell trouble on US-bound Air India flight

The wait for a long flight to land could never have been more desperate than for the almost 340 people on board Air India's Delhi-Chicago nonstop on Saturday. A Boeing 777 was released for the 16-hour journey with four toilets closed before take off itself and ALL the remaining eight others also packing up by the time it was a good two hours away from the destination!
The condition of passengers on the aircraft - that had 324 adults and seven infants as passengers apart from 16 crew members - was understandably bad as the plane had taken off at 2 am in the morning from Delhi. A hearty breakfast, full meal and alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages were served during the course of the flight. First there were long queues at the eight operational toilets and then there were no queues as all the lavs were unusable!
Things got so bad that hectic parleys went on between the cockpit and AI operations whether it should divert to Toronto. It was decided that the plane will continue to its destination where it landed with the toilets closed and most on board holding on to their full bladders and stomach!
"The Boeing 777-300 (VT-ALJ) flew into Delhi from Hyderabad on Friday night. Four of its 12 toilets were clogged and we tried to clear them by nitrogen flushing but could not do so. Since the aircraft was booked to take a full of passengers to Chicago from Delhi and no alternate aircraft could be arranged at such a short notice, it was felt that the eight servicable toilets will be enough for the journey and the plane was released under minimum equipment list (meaning with an issue that can be tackled later)," said a senior AI official.
But this calculation proved very wrong. By the time the plane crossed the Atlantic and was over Canada (AI nonstop flights take the polar route between India and America's east coast over the Atlantic), the other toilets started packing up. When about one or two hours away from the destination, ALL the toilets got full and could not be used.
All those on board - passengers and crew - then had no option but to just hold tight and wait for the plane to land at Chicago O'Hare Airport to get access to toilets.
13/03/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Jet, Spicejet raise concerns over foreign ownership in Indi skies

Qatar Airways’ plans of launching a domestic airline in India may have hit an air pocket even before it took flight with Jet Airways and SpiceJet raising red flags over allowing foreign players in the domestic circuit.
SpiceJet’s chairman and managing director (CMD) Ajay Singh and Jet Airways’s acting chief executive officer (CEO) Amit Agarwal met civil aviation secretary R N Choubey to air their concerns over the move to allow 100 per cent ownership of local airlines by foreign investors.

“Discussions mainly pertained to allowing foreign players into the domestic airline business,” a source present said. The meeting, which lasted for over an hour, comes days after Gulf carrier Qatar Airways’s CEO Akbar Al Bakr announced plans to set up an airline in India along with the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, which is said to be the 14th largest in the world. As per existing rules, foreign airlines are allowed to own as much as 49 per cent in Indian carriers, although overall foreign investment can go up to 100%.

Amber Dubey, partner and India head of aerospace and defence at accountancy and consultancy firm KPMG, reacting to news of a fully-owned and operated Qatar airline said, “Under current rules allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment only if the foreign airlines have zero stake in the said airline.”
13/03/17  Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror

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Can a Middle-Eastern suitor fly in for Air India?

New Delhi: With the buzz on the privatisation of state-owned airline Air India (AI) erupting again, aviation experts say it was the right time for such a move but wondered whether investors' would have the appetite for it or whether politically and strategically it would be the right overture.

Even as presentation for divestment of government stake in the airline was reportedly being made to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the finance ministry, telecom experts believe a staggering debt of around Rs64,000 crore –as per the latest financial numbers released in 2014-15 – there would not be many takers for the national carrier except for the deep-pocketed Gulf carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways.

Pankaj Pandit, who is an ex-Air India employee and now works as an airline consultant, said, "The appetite for buying Air India, according to my analysis, will come only from this middle-eastern airlines such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways because they are the ones with deep pockets. If you look at takeovers in recent past, they (Gulf carriers) have been buying airlines in Europe and Australia. Qatar, in particular, may look at AI as it wants to catch up with Emirates; for which it will have to grow inorganically. European carriers may not be interested in buying an Asian airline".
According to him, the timing for it would right as AI's operations had finally become cash positive after a long time and the overall aviation sector was doing well because of softer fuel prices and healthy air passenger traffic growth.
For instance, in fiscal 2016, the airline reported an operational profit of Rs 105 crore after a long time while its losses were down to Rs3,587 crore from Rs5,859 crore in the previous year.
13/03/17 Praveena Sharma/DNA

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AirAsia stops lifting cargo from Tiruchi airport

Tiruchi: Export of overseas air cargo from the Tiruchi international airport has taken a severe hit as foreign airline AirAsia has stopped lifting freight.

The airlines sources said cargo bookings had been stopped temporarily because of operational issues and were hopeful that it would be revived soon.

The sudden move has put the exporters in a quandary.

Notwithstanding heavy passenger load, AirAsia, which operates three flights to Kuala Lumpur from Tiruchi, had been lifting nearly 10 tonnes of cargo – mostly perishables- on an average every day. Since Saturday, this had been stopped.

Stakeholders say this has dealt a big blow to overall cargo volume handling. It comes at a time when the current financial year is drawing to a close with the export cargo terminal left with only a few days to achieve the internal target of 7,000 tonnes set for 2016-17.

Airport sources said they have not received any intimation from the airline regarding the sudden stoppage of cargo bookings nor its revival as of now. However, they confirmed that bookings had been stopped since Saturday.
13/04/17 R. Rajaram/The Hindu

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AirAsia announces discount on domestic, foreign travel

New Delhi: Malaysian no-frills carrier AirAsia today announced discounted fares, starting as low as Rs 899 for travel within India and Rs 4,999 for international flights for a limited period.

The special low fare offer is applicable for all the flights operated by AirAsia, including AirAsia India, AirAsia Berhad, Thai AirAsia and AirAsia X.

The tickets under the offer can be booked from March 13 to March 19, for travel between September 1, 2017 and June 5, 2018, the AirAsia said in a release.

The promotional all-inclusive fares start from Rs 899 on domestic destinations such as Bengaluru, Kochi, Goa, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Pune, New Delhi, Guwahati, Imphal, Vizag, Hyderabad, Srinagar and Bagdogra connected by AirAsia India, it said.
For international travel, customers can choose from destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Bali, Melbourne and many more for an all-in return fare starting at as low as Rs 4,999, the airline said.
13/03/17 PTI/Economic Times

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Jet redux in Hungary's AI air scare case

New Delhi: The scrambling of Hungarian fighter jets after an Air India aircraft went incommunicado on Friday may have been caused by exactly the same factors that had led to a Jet Airways plane facing a similar situation in Germany last month.
A preliminary probe by AI has indicated that one of the two pilots of AI 171 Ahmedabad-London-Newark was taking "controlled rest" - sleeping on long flights as per rules while the other pilot is supposed to be in charge of the cockpit. "The headset volume of the other (awake) pilot was possibly set at low due to which he could not hear European ATC," said a highly placed source. AI is now going to seek permission from DGCA so that these two pilots can operate a schedule flight to India. Once here, they will be taken off flying duties pending the probe.
Jet's Mumbai-London flight had also gone incommunicado for possibly the same reasons on February 16. DGCA chief B S Bhullar could not be reached to know how the regulator plans to tackle this new phenomenon as frequent scares do no good to Indian aviation's image abroad.
According to aviation insiders, the only way to tackle this is to have two awake persons inside the cockpit at all times.
12/03/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Family of plane crash victim head to Australia

The parents of a man killed in a light plane crash in Sydney's south west are on their way to Australia to collect Amarinder Singh’s body.

The Indian resident died when his Drifter ultralight aircraft ploughed into an airfield in Oakdale shortly after take-off on Friday.

Investigators have been back to the crash scene on Saturday, trying to piece together what caused the plane to crash in Sydney’s outskirts.

“We need to try to piece together those final moments, learn a little more about exactly what happened,” Recreational Aviation Australia spokesperson Michael Linke said.

“(The aircraft) is one of the hundreds and hundreds on our register, one of the really I suppose foundation aircraft of recreational aviation in Australia.”
Witnesses described Mr Singh’s take off as smooth and said the flying conditions were near-perfect.

“We look at the environmental factors at play, the weather and all those type of factors, the wind, the sun, the temperature,” Mr Linke said.
“We then look at the mechanical aspects of the aircraft, the mechanical history of the aircraft, the log books, the operation.”
Police are also assisting the investigation while a report is being prepared for the coroner.

Mr Singh’s family are due to arrive from India shortly.
11/03/17 Yahoo 7 News

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Air India plane loses contact with ATC over Hungary, escorted to safety by fighter jets

New Delhi: A London-bound Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad had lost contact with Air Traffic Control flying over Hungarian air space on Friday. A Hungarian fighter jet was deployed subsequently to ensure safety of the aircraft with at least 231 passengers and 18 crew members on board.
An Air India spokesperson said that it had lost contact due to frequency fluctuation. The flight, which departed from Sardar Vallabhai International Airport, landed safely at London’s Heathrow airport with all passengers and crew safe, the spokesperson added.
Air India has already started a probe into the incident. This is the second such reported incident of an Indian aircraft losing contact with the ATC in the European airspace in a month’s time. On February 16, Jet Airways flight Jet Airways flight 9W-118 from Mumbai had lost communication with the Germany’s ATC on its way to Heathrow airport in London, forcing the German Air Force to scramble two fighter jets after it.
10/03/17 Indian Express

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Old Indian carriers to oppose Qatar Air proposal

New Delhi: Qatar Airways' plan to set up a 100% Qatari-owned domestic airline in India is all set to get a red carpet treatment from the Modi government, but 'old' Indian carriers are gearing up to oppose the proposal tooth and nail.
Aviation minister Jayant Sinha told TOI on Thursday that India now has among the most liberal FDI regimes in the world for the aviation sector. "Qatar and other airlines are very welcome to explore how they can establish themselves in India under that FDI regime. Under our regulations, it is possible to have a 100% foreign-owned carrier in India," he said. India since last June, allows 100% foreign-owned domestic carrier, in which a foreign airline can have up to 49% stake and foreign investment arm/s the remaining 51%.
The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), comprising Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir, is planning to oppose Qatar Airways' (QA's) Indian plan on the ground that no country allows 100% foreign-owned domestic carriers. "Indian carriers cannot own or control airlines in other countries. It will be a complete sellout of Indian interests as it hurts desi airlines and will lead to setting up of another hub for Indian traffic abroad (referring to the QA base of Doha). It is a complete reversal of 'Make in India'," said an FIA member.
FIA had used the same argument to oppose Singapore Airlines and AirAsia's JV airlines with the Tata Group in India. It says that FDI in airlines was allowed to ensure that existing Indian carriers get much-required funds and expertise and not for JV startups.
10/03/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Qatar Airways' plans to set up an airline in India may face political and regulatory hurdles

New Delhi: Qatar Airways has been interested in traffic from India for a long time. It was wooing India’s biggest domestic airline, IndiGo, for an equity partnership earlier to gain a foothold in this market but IndiGo did not respond to its overtures. Frustrated at IndiGo’s persistent refusal, Qatar has now come up with a proposal to set up an airline in India from scratch. The recent government move to allow 100 percent FDI in commercial aviation may seem to be the trigger for this bold move by Qatar. Whether it will succeed in overcoming the myriad regulatory hurdles in this endeavour remains in doubt.

But what is more important to understand is its actual motivation in eyeing the Indian traffic: It wants to make Doha a bigger international aviation hub and the Indian narrow body traffic will likely feed into the existing global network of Qatar Airways. The focus of the government of Qatar (which wants to invest through its sovereign fund) and Qatar Airways is onward traffic from Doha; let us not be fooled about any intentions of a new airline in India setting up a wide domestic network or feeding domestic underserved routes.

As per revised FDI norms, equity stake of a foreign airline in an Indian carrier cannot breach the 49 percent mark. But a relaxation of restrictions last year means foreign sovereign wealth funds and portfolio investors can potentially acquire 100 percent holdings – this is possibly the route that the Qatar government and its airline will take to seek approvals for a new airline venture in India.
Qatar’s desperation about India stems from the fact that it has, for long, been interested in increasing bilateral weekly seat entitlements but hasn't been unsuccessful. Its entitlements stand at a little less than 25,000 seats a week when the airlines from neighbouring UAE – Emirates and Etihad – have almost double the weekly seat entitlements. The Indian government has not been keen to enhance Qatar’s entitlements, taking the plea that our airlines are not even using a bulk of their current seat entitlements and that an increase will only help Qatar.
09/03/17 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Qatar's India airline plan may fly into 'ownership' wall

Mumbai: While Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al Baker has announced that the cash-rich Gulf carrier will soon start a fully-owned foreign airline in India, sceptics claim that it won't be a cakewalk.

Though the challenges are many, the main roadblock will be International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines over 'effective control and ownership' of the airline, said Devesh Agarwal, a Bengaluru-based aviation analyst, said.

The ICAO had last year expressed concerns that a foreign-owned airline operating from India may have legal and procedural issues in obtaining seats under bilateral rights for flying abroad.

The air service agreements (ASAs) signed between two countries usually mandate that airlines from either country have their substantial ownership and effective control (SOEC) vested with citizens of the particular country. These ASAs are based on ICAO template, and even though they are not binding, most countries include them in their bilateral rights agreements.

ICAO had raised the concerns after India further opened the aviation sector last year.

As per the new rules, 100% FDI is allowed with the condition that no foreign airline will have a stake. However, if there is a foreign airline partner, then the FDI is limited to 49%. Vistara and AirAsia entered the business under the second option.

09/03/17 Shahkar Abidi/DNA

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As the skies above India rain money, Qatar Airways lines up a domestic airline

Qatar Airways is taxiing for takeoff in India. Just three months after Qatari prime minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani held talks in New Delhi, the state-owned carrier of the oil-rich middle eastern nation has announced plans to enter India’s aviation market.
“Yes, we will have a 100% owned domestic carrier in India that will belong to both the QR (Qatar Airways) and our state investment arm, as India has now allowed foreign direct investment in domestic carriers within India,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said at ITB Berlin, a tourism trade fair, on March 08. “We will soon be making an application to that effect, and from there we will proceed.”
Last June, the Narendra Modi government allowed foreign investors, except foreign airlines, to hold a 100% stake in domestic carriers. Foreign airlines cannot invest over 49% of their paid-up capital in Indian carriers. This means the Qatar Investment Authority, the state-run wealth fund, can potentially own the Indian venture.
If the application comes through, Qatar will become the third global airline to set up shop in India in recent years, following Air Asia’s entry in 2014 and Singapore Airlines’ in 2015. Both carriers entered India through joint ventures with the Tata group. Etihad Airways, a regional rival of Qatar, has held a 24% stake in Jet Airways since 2013.
Qatar’s proposed short-haul airline in India will operate on the back of 100 narrow-body planes, Bloomberg reported, which would make it one of the largest fleets in the subcontinent. Jet Airways has a fleet size of 112 aircraft, state-owned Air India 118, and IndiGo 129.
Qatar’s entry into India’s $16-billion aviation market comes at a time when the country’s domestic airlines are finally seeing some recovery after years of gloom. Between 2011 and 2015, barring IndiGo and GoAir, none of India’s seven airlines made any profits. In fact, two airlines—Kingfisher and Paramount—went bust during that time, even as another domestic carrier, SpiceJet, was on the verge of closing down.
09/03/17 Reuters/Pascal Rossignol/Quartz Media

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Jet diverts to Shannon with suspected fuel leak

A transatlantic jet has made an emergency diversion to Shannon Airport this afternoon after the crew reported a suspected fuel leak on board.

Jet Airways flight JAI-234 was en route from Delhi to Toronto via Amsterdam when the crew reported the possible problem shortly before 1.00pm. There were 320 passengers and crew on board.

The Boeing 777-300 jet was about 250 kilometres west of Mayo when the crew decided to divert to Shannon. After reporting that the leak appeared to be on the left side of the jet, the pilot shut down the engine on that side.

Airport emergency services were put on standby for the jet which landed safely at 1.52pm.

The aircraft was accompanied to the terminal building by fire crews who then carried out an external inspection of the jet to see if there was any evidence of a fuel leak.

The airline says it’s working to see the flight continue to Toronto.

An airline spokeswoman said: “Jet Airways flight 9W 234 from Amsterdam to Toronto diverted and landed safely at Shannon, Ireland. The diversion was initiated as a precaution by the crew due to a suspected technical reason.”

The flight continued its journey at 6.45pm.
08/03/17 Pat Flynn/Clare Herald

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