No proposal from Qatar Airways for airline in India: Aviation Minister

New Delhi:  Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju says that the Ministry has not received any proposal from Qatar Airways for setting up a domestic airline here.

The airlines Chief Executive Officer, Al Baker had announced the intention to set up a 100 per cent owned airline in India at a trade event in Berlin Germany earlier this year.

The Qatar Investment Fund is expected to partner with Qatar Airways in the project. Meanwhile the proposal of Qatar Airways for setting up a domestic airline here has been opposed by the Federation of Indian Airlines, a grouping of domestic airlines.
30/05/17 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Russian tourist tries to open Moscow-Delhi plane door mid-air

New Delhi: Passengers and crew aboard Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Delhi got a scare when a drunk passenger tried to open one of the doors of the flight mid air.
The crew on board Flight SU 232, Moscow-New Delhi acted quick to control the situation. The staff on board stopped the person from opening the door and calmed other passengers.
The pilot informed the Delhi Air Traffic Controller (ATC) about the situation and requested for police's help at the airport. The incident on the flight took place when the plane was about to land.
According to a Delhi Police official, the incident took place on May 22. After the flight landed in Delhi, the man was handed to authorities. Aeroflot's control room in Moscow was also informed about the incident.
The passenger was reportedly made to appear in a court and let off after paying a fine of Rs 50,000.
31/05/17 Business Today

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Air India flight for Bangkok to take off in October this year

Chandigarh: An Air India flight from Chandigarh to Bangkok has appeared in the winter schedule of Chandigarh International Airport. According to the schedule, the flight would operate from October. Officials, however, said the flight could start operating earlier, too. Air India has already announced the direct flight to Bangkok from Chandigarh. Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Air India, Ashwani Lohani, had said that the flight would start in the first week of June. But it failed to take off.
Airport sources told Chandigarh Newsline on Tuesday that the Bangkok flight has appeared in the winter schedule. “Air India has been given the slot…it starts in October,” said a senior airport official. He, however, said that inclusion of the flight in the winter schedule does not mean that the flight cannot start earlier as well. Chandigarh airport CEO Sunil Dutt said details of the Bangkok flight have been added to the October schedule. “But, it could start prior to the given date or after as well,” he said.
31/05/17 Indian Express

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Union: Heathrow Fiasco ‘Could Have Been Avoided’ Had BA Not Sacked British Workers and Outsourced Jobs to India

The IT fiasco which saw hundreds of flights from Heathrow cancelled and hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded “could have been avoided” if British Airways had not sacked British tech experts and outsourced their jobs to India, say workers’ representatives.
Mick Rix, national officer for aviation at the GMB Union, said: “We can only feel genuinely sorry for the tens of thousands of passengers who are stranded at airports and face having their travel plans and holidays ruined.

“This could have all been avoided. In 2016 BA made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India.

“BA have made substantial profits for a number of years, and many viewed the company’s actions as just plain greedy.”

Airline executives claimed “only” two hundred British workers were sacked, according to the Daily Mirror, but Rix hit back in an interview with the BBC, saying he “wouldn’t expect a CEO to fully understand all the technical IT issues within a company”.

“Our understanding is if there was a certain group of people that had not been dismissed last year and their work had not been transferred to India then backup facilities which were supposed to kick in in the event of a mainframe crash would have been maintained,” he said.

“Since all these jobs have been lost due to dismissal, because the work has been outsourced to India, there is no trials, there is no proofings, there’s no testing that is taking place, and very valuable staff who were employed by BA, who intrinsically knew every system of this operation, which actually keeps its planes in the skies, have been lost.

“There’s been a brain drain away from the company, and all because the company wants to save 91 million euros by January 2019,” he said.

“Well, this company, if it wants to produce those savings, it’s probably just spent them this weekend in the compensation that it’s got to repay the passengers that it’s caused misery too.”
30/05/17 Jack Montgomery/Breitbart

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British Airways must learn lessons from flight chaos

Alex Cruz, the chief executive of British Airways, has said sorry a couple of times now for the mass of flight cancellations and delays that left thousands of passengers stranded in airport terminals, but it is going to take more than the word sorry to fix this mess. BA was once the pre-eminent brand of the British aviation industry ¬- or any industry; but now, after several days of disorganisation and miscommunication, its long-term reputation is under serious threat.

According to BA, the root cause of the breakdown was a problem with its power supply which affected the IT systems. But the real test of a company like BA, whose procedures and practices increasingly rely on automation, is how it copes in a crisis and BA has failed the test spectacularly.

The first question it must answer is why, when the power problem occurred, there was no effective back-up system in place. The company has ruled out a cyber attack, but it must also establish why the back-up, if it existed, failed. A company of the scale of BA with responsibility for thousands of passengers every day should have a disaster plan in place that can kick in when needed, but, again, the plan, if there was one, failed when it was needed.

The last few days have also been a spectacular failure of public relations. Part of the problem for United Airlines after one of its passengers was dragged off a flight last month was that it was slow to respond, explain and apologise, but BA appear not to have been watching. As the chaos grew, no one from BA was made available to explain what was going on.

So far, BA has denied the problems have anything to do with cost-cutting or the fact that IT systems have been outsourced to India, but, if public confidence is to be restored, BA will have to take a serious look at this question as part of a review of what went wrong.
30/05/17 The Herald

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UAE ready for air traffic pact

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in favour of India’s proposal for a unified bilateral air traffic pact provided the Gulf nation gets access to more Indian airports.

“We understand that India wants to rationalise the air service agreements with the UAE, and have one unified pact instead… We have suggested to Indian officials that we are happy to talk about a unified agreement, with the hope they will speak of giving the UAE airlines access to more airports,” UAE Ambassador to India Dr. Ahmed Al Banna told The Hindu.

He said officials on both sides would soon hold a meeting to discuss the proposal to sign a single bilateral air traffic agreement.

“If they are worried that Delhi and Mumbai are busy and there are no extra slots, then we would be happy to speak about Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi or Bangalore and Chennai,” Dr. Banna said.

India has signed separate agreements with emirates of the UAE which is a unique arrangement as bilateral air traffic rights are generally signed between two countries. It has an agreement each with Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah.
30/05/17 Suhasini Haidar/Somesh Jha/The Hindu

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Foreign Players owning Indian aircraft can pose security threats

Kolkata: The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) vehemently protested the government’s plan to allow 100 pc Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in scheduled Indian carriers as it could pose a serious security threat to the country’s national security.
Allowing foreign firms to completely claim a local aircraft could have genuine security suggestions, other than offering ascend to different issues, the FIA has advised the government. “The decision to relax the foreign investment norm (in aviation) to 100 pc is unprecedented. No substantive country allows this,” the FIA wrote in a current letter to the government. “By India permitting 100 pc foreign direct investment (FDI) in scheduled airlines, the Indian government will have no visibility on where control lies. Such a move could also have serious repercussions on India’s national security.”
As per the FIA, such “foreign owned and controlled domestic airlines” will likewise increase unhindered access to resistance airfields. Last year, remote financial specialists, with the exception of abroad aircrafts, were permitted to claim up to 100 for every penny stake in neighborhood air transporters by changing the nation’s FDI directions.
Nonetheless, existing standards order that significant proprietorship and viable control (SOEC) of an aircraft must rest with Indian nationals, and the chairman and 66 pc of the board of directors of the carrier must be Indian citizens. “It must be noted that permitting 100 pc FDI in scheduled airlines and removing the SOEC requirement skews the creation of a level playing field,” the FIA stated.
30/05/17 Shalini Dasgupta/Media India Group

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Why is the Government treating Boeing with kid gloves?

New Delhi: Even after chronic technical failures of Dreamliner aircraft and Air India’s reputation taking a beating, the government is yet to take the US-based aircraft manufacturer, Boeing to task. In the last 3 weeks, a number of flights between Kolkata and Delhi were cancelled due to technical snags in the Dreamliner and such glitches are being reported very often in the airline’s international sectors as well. Air India’s Engineering Union had urged the management last year to defer deliveries of the remaining aircraft. It also urged that the manpower for frequent unscheduled snags be compensated, including damages for hampering the airline’s on-time performance. But, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has still not initiated any action and is rather still taking delivery of the 5 remaining aircraft. Meanwhile, according to officials, Boeing is in talks with Air India to revise the delivery schedule for the remaining aircraft. Boeing wants to deliver all of them by March 2018. On the other hand, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is yet to conclude its investigation into this deal.  The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had in its report, submitted to Parliament in 2011, found fault with the then Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, for not supporting the airline, which has lurched from one crisis to another over the past few years and now finds itself in a debt trap.
30/05/17 Millennium Post

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Airlines in fix for collecting Airport Tax despite being exempted in U.K.

Not many passengers knew that the UK Authorities have exempted people upto the age of 16 to pay air passenger duty(APD) since March 16,2016 which was earlier restricted to 12 years.
The above exemption results in a waiver of approx Rs.7500 for an economy class travel between London to India which is included in the ticket price which has resulted in many of the passengers, mostly students, ending up paying higher fares though the discount is believed to have been claimed and applied on their tickets, by the travel agents.
 The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) has claimed that airlines did not inform them about this. The agents have also demanded refunds for customers. This wouldn’t have come into the limelight and may have remained concealed for a longer time until a customer complained about this clause to an agent in April 2017.
Air India, Jet Airways, British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic (VA) operate non-stop flights between India and London. There are also other airlines like Emirates and Etihad Airways which operates flights on this rout.
“There has been no circular from your airline to travel agents informing about this tax exemption. Neither have any procedures been informed to collect the tax refund for passengers. It is quite clear that mechanisms exist with the global distribution systems used by agents for ticketing to deduct this tax at the time of ticketing. However, no efforts have been made on that front either,” the TAFI said in a letter to airlines.
30/05/17 Sarath Babu/News Patrolling

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British Airlines blames Indian IT services for airports mayhem

British Airways GMB union has blamed the airline’s 2016 decision of outsourcing IT jobs to India as the reason behind cancelling all Saturday flights from London’s two biggest airports: Heathrow and Gatwick.
The GMB union said the airline’s decision to outsource hundreds of IT jobs to India last year was behind the problems, the Guardian reported. GMB union said the airline’s decision to outsource hundreds of IT jobs to India last year was behind the problems, the Guardian reported. The GMB union said BA laid off hundreds of IT staff last year and outsourced the work to India and blamed cost cutting for the travel chaos.
“This could have all been avoided,” said Mick Rix, national officer for aviation at the GMB union. According to the GMB website, the union had on February on February 29, 2016 warned against BA outsourcing IT jobs.
British Airways has cancelled all flights from Heathow and Gatwick on Saturday due to a major IT failure causing severe disruption to its global operations that is expected to run into Sunday.
29/05/17 Nagaland Post

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SriLankan adds new routes in India, flies to Vietnam

Sri Lanka’s national carrier is planning to fly to more destinations in India, increase frequencies to Hong Kong and launch a new service to Vietnam.
SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ajit Dias told reporters, on the sidelines of the May 18-20 annual summit of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), that the debt-ridden airline is adding Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Cochin to its Indian sector eventually making it the largest foreign carrier into India with 13 destinations.
“We are also increasing the frequency to Hong Kong and launching a new service to Vietnam,” he said in Negombo where the PATA summit was held. “We are adding some smaller aircraft to our fleet for the increased frequencies while retiring the larger ones, as per original plans,” he added.
While battling huge debt left behind by the previous management under an earlier government, the airline is focusing on the India subcontinent and the Far East while slowing down on loss-making European routes.
28/05/17 Sunday Times

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British Airways flights to and from Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru cancelled after IT failure

New Delhi: British Airways (BA) on Saturday cancelled its flights from London to Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, following a massive IT failure at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Consequentially, the flights to London from these three south Indian metros that were scheduled to leave on Sunday morning have also been cancelled.
"The flights from London to Delhi and Mumbai took off on Saturday. We are expecting that these flights will leave from Delhi and Mumbai for London early on Sunday morning as scheduled. However, Saturday's flights from London to Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore and the return flights were cancelled," a BA official in Delhi said.
The British carrier flies to five Indian metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. While BA has double daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to London, the other three cities have one daily flight each.
On Saturday, BA experienced major IT failure at Heathrow and Gatwick due to which it had to cancel all its flights from there. The airline reportedly suffered a global computer system outage that caused massive delays and left planes stuck on runways in London.
28/05/17 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Life after controversy: Atwater flight school rebuilding after ex-owner’s conviction

Leaders with the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics in Atwater are taking steps to leave financial troubles and legal battles behind and move toward a brighter future by improving education offered at the flight school and bringing in new investors.

Daniel Yoon is the former co-owner of the flight school who last month was sentenced to three years probation after accepting a plea deal to misdemeanor charges of forgery and falsifying documents in the name of his former business partner and current exclusive owner of the flight school and parent company, John Yoon.

Daniel Yoon and John Yoon are not related.

School officials did not mince words discussing their feeling over the departure of their former owner.

“Now that Mr. Dan Yoon is out of the picture, we can move forward with projects like acquiring aircraft, hiring instructors and bringing students back in,” said Bob Deklinsky, a business operations director at the academy.

The academy, also known as KS Aviation, specializes in training commercial pilots from Asia, particularly from China, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. The school, located at Castle Commerce Center, currently enrolls about 40 students.

The former business partners engaged in a court battle in which Daniel Yoon was accused of trying to seize control of the flight school while John Yoon recovered from injuries suffered in a 2013 motorcycle crash. The lawsuit is ongoing in Merced County Superior Court.

Efforts to contact Daniel Yoon were unsuccessful.

John Yoon placed much of the blame for the school’s recent troubles squarely on the shoulders of his former business partner.

The academy scrapped about two dozen aircraft that weren’t maintained properly while John Yoon was away from the company.

In January, employees received paychecks more than a week late while John Yoon waited for money from overseas, he said.

Now, the school is in the process of buying brand new planes, said Sanjay Akella, who was recently hired on as the academy’s chief flight instructor.

The school’s reputation with international airlines also sank, along with the quality of education students were receiving, school officials acknowledged.

“Our greatest frustration was we saw that resources and attention were not focused on the future of the school,” said Joshua Daniel, the human resources coordinator.

Hiring Akella demonstrates John Yoon’s focus on churning out quality pilots, he said. Since the beginning of the year, pass rates in classes have more than doubled.

“Sanjay is a really good pilot,” John Yoon said. “In all the world, you can’t find this kind of pilot.”

Daniel said the school received more than 30 letters of recommendation on behalf of Akella.
27/05/17 Brianna Calix/Merced Sun-Star

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4 Brits nabbed at Mumbai airport for human trafficking helped 5 Lankans fly to UK earlier: Chargesheet

Mumbai: The four UK nationals nabbed from Mumbai airport on March 10 for trafficking four Sri Lankans, had helped five others from the island nation fly to London, similarly, using fake Indian passports earlier this year, the chargesheet filed by Sahar police says.
On March 10, the eight foreign nationals were caught at the boarding gates of the international and domestic sections of Terminal 2, where the UK nationals gave their boarding passes for a London flight to the Sri Lankans, who, in turn, gave them their boarding passes for an Ahmedabad flight. "The chargesheet mentions that the Sri Lankans had got fake Indian passports in the name of the UK nationals, but with Chennai addresses," said an investigator. The 678-page chargesheet was filed in the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court on May 12.
"The racket was busted when immigration officials received a tip-off that a few foreigners had skipped immigration checks and they alerted all boarding gates," said a police officer. "The officials at Gate No. 78 in the international section stopped the Sri Lankans as the boarding passes they were carrying had British-sounding names."
27/05/17 Times of India

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Aviation ministry to thrash out new bi-laterals policy not to clear any more requests from other countries, airlines

 New Delhi: The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) is in the process of devising a comprehensive, long term policy, which would guide the country’s bilateral agreements with other countries. No request from any country or airline for an increase in seats would be entertained till such a policy is in place, official sources told FE. The government’s civil aviation policy had skipped bilaterals in the absence of a wider consensus on the subject. This stand of the aviation ministry is significant since in recent times some of the Gulf states like Dubai and Qatar have sought increase in the existing number of seats by revising the existing bilateral agreements.
“Bilaterals are an important tool for the growth of civil aviation sector in India and we are going to use it wisely to ensure the growth for the sector in the country. We are trying to take a long term approach in the bilateral related issues and have to talk to the domestic airlines to formulate a long term policy on bilaterals,” a senior official in MoCA told FE. Going by the agreement with Qatar currently airlines on both sides have 24,292 seats and airlines from Qatar have utilised 80% of the deployed seats while the the Indian airlines haven’t.
26/05/17 Malyaban Ghosh/Financial Express

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Indian carriers are against Qatar Airways' India plans and their points are valid; govt should take heed

New Delhi: India has removed or relaxed foreign investment caps in several sectors since last year and one such sector is domestic airlines. So as of today, a foreign airline can pick up 49 percent equity in an Indian carrier and then also collaborate with an investment firm from parent country to pick up the remaining 51 percent, effectively owning 100 percent of an airline in India. This proposal has been opposed tooth and nail by incumbent Indian airlines SpiceJet, IndiGo, Jet Airways and Go Air under the aegis of the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA).
This airline lobby group was also similarly opposed to the entry of Singapore Airlines and AirAsia BhD in India earlier – both forged separate partnerships with Tata Sons to set up two new airlines from scratch, when the FDI caps were relaxed in the first round in 2012. At that time, the FIA had used every available means to thwart the Tatas’ plans and though both airlines did eventually get established, the matter is still pending resolution in the courts.
Now, when Qatar Airways has been hinting at starting an airline from scratch in India by using the newly opened 100 percent FDI route (along with Qatar Investment Authority), the FIA has upped the ante again. This time, the FIA has raised some valid points and the government would do well to listen to what it has to say. Why allow a powerful global airline, with deep pockets and a vast network, to come to India and provide unnecessary competition to local airlines when the latter are already suffering in a high-cost and hostile operating environment?
Besides, there has been growing rivalry between the powerful Gulf airlines and those from Europe and the USA on global routes, with non-Gulf airlines closing ranks against the rapidly advancing Gulf carriers. Why should India open its arms to airlines from the Gulf?
In a fresh letter to the government, the FIA has raised some valid points against allowing 100 percent foreign investment in airlines.
25/05/17 Sindhu Bhattacharya/First Post

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Foreign players owning airlines in India can have security issues: FIA

Mumbai: Continuing its opposition to the government allowing foreign players to own an airline in India, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has said the move could have serious "security" implications besides other issues.

In a letter to the government recently, the FIA also said that the decision to allow foreign carriers owning an airline in the country will create a very inequitable competitive environment for them.

The letter comes against the backdrop of Qatar Airways announcing its plans to set up an airline in India with the Gulf nation's sovereign wealth fund, and the government recently saying that it is looking at bringing the rules and regulations regarding ownership and control of an airline in conformity with the new FDI norms. "By India permitting 100 per cent FDI in scheduled airlines, the Indian government will have no visibility on where control lies. Such a move could also have serious repercussions on India’s national security," the FIA said in the letter.

The FIA has four private airlines --IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and GoAir as its members. The four airlines together command around 75 per cent share of the total domestic air travel market. "Such foreign-owned and controlled Indian airlines will also gain unhindered access to defence airfields in India.
25/05/17 PTI/New Indian Express

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MAHB gets nod to go international, eyes more airports in India

Sepang: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), which is the third largest airport operator in the world by passenger size, plans to expand its presence abroad and may acquire some airports in India to ride on strong air travel demand in Asia.

Its managing director Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said the board has approved its fourth pillar strategic plan to expand internationally by acquiring new airports as well as getting more services-related business.

"The strategy is to tap intra-Asia air travel market which currently generated the highest passenger traffic in the world.

"We are looking at a few opportunities. Sometimes it is not just about one-to-one airport but basket of airports... And acquiring airports is not going to be through the normal tendering process.

"It is about making representation of capabilities, synergies and value creation as well as whether we can work hand in hand with local partners," he told reporters here at the company's annual general meeting.

Badlisham said India's airport market is opening up and currently enticing investors to look at it.

"Last year, India announced 50 secondary airports to be put into the market. So now they are soliciting whether we should do a basket of airports. They are not sure and really asking how they should go about this.
25/05/17 Amir Hisyam Rasid/New Straits Times

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Indian national charged as man behind LaGuardia Airport security breach

A hapless rookie security guard watched an equally clueless Indian national wander into an off-limits area in LaGuardia Airport, a video obtained by the Daily News showed.

Phani Kumar Varanasi, 41, was arrested Thursday, two days after the Tuesday security breach on a charge of criminal trespass after surrendering to Port Authority cops at the Queens airport, police said.

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” a relative told the Daily News. “It was a mistake. He was just going on vacation. We are in a deep soup.”

Varanasi told police he was confused about where to go after exiting the plane, after flying in from Detroit, and he strayed into a “sterile area” of the terminal through a guarded exit.

The video captured him entering the forbidden zone through its exit as the Transportation Security Administration employee sits at a desk inside Terminal B.

The incident led to a partial evacuation of the terminal while causing travel problems for hundreds of passengers as authorities conducted a security sweep.

Varanasi spent five minutes wandering around the restricted area around before returning to the public space through the same exit and walking away, according to the TSA.

Port Authority cops were finally called, but Varanasi was already gone by then.

The bungling worker was “within the one-year probation period, and appropriate action will be taken,” the TSA said in a statement on Thursday.
25/05/17 Mary McDonnel/Thomas Tracy/Larry McShane/New York Daily News

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Behavior of Man Who Tried to Break Into American Airlines Cockpit Should've Raised 'Red Flags'

Los Angeles:  A man acted strangely long before he caused a disturbance on a plane that prompted fighter jets to accompany it to Hawaii, but a lack of communication and an airline's hesitancy to be caught on video booting a passenger could have played a role in allowing him to fly, experts say.
Anil Uskanli, 25, of Turkey, had purchased a ticket at an airline counter in the middle of the night with no luggage and had been arrested after opening a door to a restricted airfield at Los Angeles International Airport. Airport police did not notify the airline, but they said it isn't common practice.
After bizarre behavior on board Friday, including trying to get to the front of the jet, he was arrested by FBI agents and charged with interfering with a flight crew.
A federal judge on Monday ordered him to undergo a mental competency evaluation, which Uskanli's attorney said he requested based on conversations with his client that he would not detail.
The first alarm should have been Uskanli buying his ticket around midnight with no bags other than a laptop, a phone and items in his pocket, said Doron Pely, a director at TAL Global, an international security consulting firm focusing on aviation security.
"Right there, that's enough red flags to really look into this guy with curiosity," Pely said. "He had trouble written all over him."
25/05/17  Michael Balsamo/AP/Time

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American Airlines’ Passenger, Anil Uskanli, Disrupts Hawaii Flight Under The Influence Of Alcohol Or Drugs

A man who disrupted a flight taking off from Los Angeles to Honolulu only had a laptop and didn’t have any luggage.  A wheelchair was needed for the man to get into the plane as he was either drunk or on drugs.

Anil Uskanli, who also has the Turkish nationally, didn’t check in or carry any luggage, a criminal filed complaint in federal court said.
Flying on Friday, It was an American Airlines flight. Uskanli, 25, boarded the plane only with laptop, phone as well as laptop charger and several unimportant items in his pockets.

The flight’s staff immediately thought that the Turkish man’s laptop may contain an explosive.

As well as his arrest in Honolulu, Uskanli was also charged with intervening with a flight attendant.

On Monday, the judge decided that Uskanli has to pass a mental evaluation. The Bureau of Prisons will decide where he will go for the examination.

Around midnight, Uskanli purchased his ticket.

At 2.45 a.m., he was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport because he opened a door leading to an airfield ramp. Spokesperson Rob Pedregon said that Uskanli was only looking for food.

Uskanli smelled like alcohol but he was drunk enough to be held for public drunkenness so the police released him. Hence, his ticket was confiscated after taking him a public space in the airport.

Shortly after that, Uskanli got himself another boarding pass and passed by security screening again.

Police is obliged to let an airline know if someone opens a gate to a restricted area.

“If he was a danger, we would not have ever let him go,” he said.

He then entered the restricted area and insisted that he is on drugs or alcohol. Therefore, flight crew brought him a wheelchair to help him board the plane.

American Airlines’ spokesperson said that Uskanli specifically asked for the wheelchair at the ticket counter before going through security and then to the gate for the flight.
25/05/17 Selena Arias/Essentail Retailer

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Jet Airways celebrates Ramadan with special fares on flights

Dubai: Jet Airways, India's full-service premier international airline, today, announced a three-day attractive fare sale to commemorate Ramadan.

Available for sale from May 26-28, 2017, this special offer is available for both economy and premiere travel on all Jet Airways’ flights operating from the Gulf to India and beyond to leading international destinations such as Bangkok, Colombo, Dhaka, Hong Kong, Kathmandu and Singapore in the ASEAN and SAARC region.

Travel for bookings made during the offer period will be valid effective July 22 onwards until November 30, 2017. During the period, guests booking Premiere or Economy tickets on www.jetairways.com or the Jet Airways mobile app, on flights originating from the Gulf will be able to enjoy discounts of 12 per cent on base fare and fuel surcharge. The three-day sale will be yet another opportunity for guests to experience the airline’s globally renowned business product at attractive, unbeatable fares.
25/05/17 daijiworld

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Paying close attention to missing Sukhoi jet: China

Beijing: On Thursday, Chinese military said that it was paying "close attention" to the incident in which an Indian Air Force fighter jet with two pilots on board went missing along the Sino-India border two days ago.

Chinese defence spokesman Col Ren Guochang said they were paying close attention to it, when asked at a briefing about whether the Chinese military would help trace the missing Sukhoi fighter jet.

However, he declined to give any details and said that the foreign ministry has reacted on the issue yesterday.

Ren's remarks appeared slightly positive compared to the comments of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang who had said that he has no information on the missing plane and warned India that it should avoid disrupting peace and stability in Arunachal Pradesh, which China refers to as 'South Tibet'.

"For the situation you mentioned, I have no relevant information to offer at the moment," Lu had told the media when asked about the missing Indian Air Force plane along the India-China border.

At the same time, he referred to the border dispute between India and China, saying that "first of all on the eastern section of the India-China border, China's position is consistent and clear."
25/05/17 Press Trust of India/Business Standard

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Jet Airways announces 3rd non-stop Mumbai-London Heathrow flight from October

Mumbai: Private carrier Jet Airways today announced the introduction of its third daily non-stop service to London Heathrow from the city, starting October. The new flight will boost Jet’s passenger and cargo capacity between India and the United Kingdom by almost 33 per cent, the airline said in release here.
The service enhances onward connectivity over London Heathrow to North America with partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic, it said. The airline said it will now offer improved connection time and 13 destinations over London to North America including Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Washington (Virginia).
“Jet Airways is delighted to offer a third non-stop service between Mumbai and London Heathrow. The new frequency will enable us to offer our guests seamless connectivity with partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic over London with a single baggage drop and through check-in,” Jet Airways Chief Commercial Officer Jayaraj Shanmugam said.
24/05/17 PTI/Financial Express

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Afghan national held at Delhi airport for using fake ticket

New Delhi: An Afghan national has been apprehended at the airport here for allegedly entering the international terminal using a fake e-ticket.
Officials said the incident was reported at about 6 am when a man identified as Mohabbat Allah was intercepted by CISF officials while he was seeing off a woman and a child near the immigration area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Mohabbat, an Afghanistan citizen, told the sleuths that he entered the area using a “fake” e-ticket to see off his wife and son who were flying to Kuwait.
He added that the three had just landed at IGIA from Bangalore but instead of leaving the terminal, he accompanied his wife and son to the international departure area and immigration, allegedly using the fake e-ticket.
25/05/17 PTI/India.com

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China says no information on Sukhoi fighter jet, asks New Delhi to stick to arrangements

China said today it has no information on the missing Indian Air Force Sukhoi fighter jet with two pilots on board and asked India to stick to the arrangements reached between the two sides to maintain peace. “For the situation you mentioned, I have no relevant information to offer at the moment,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters when asked about the missing Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet and whether China would assist India in finding the plane that took off from the Tezpur base in Assam for a routine training sortie nearly 24 hours ago.
The fighter plane has since been untraceable. “We have been following the situation in South Tibet (Arunachal Pradesh) very closely,” he said, apparently referring to reports that the jet was flying over the area before it was reported missing.
At the same time, he referred to the border dispute between India and China, saying that “first of all on the eastern section of the India-China border, China’s position is consistent and clear.” “We hope India can stick to the arrangements reached between the two sides and avoid disrupting peace and stability at the border areas,” Lu said.
24/05/17 PTI/Financial Express

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Canada Regrets Denying Entry to Retired Indian Policeman at Vancouver Airport

New Delhi: Canadian authorities denied entry to former Inspector General of Police Tejinder Singh Dhillon at the Vancouver airport as he had worked with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which is reported to have committed human rights abuses in India.
“We regret any inconvenience that may have been experienced by this individual and their family. Canada’s privacy law prevents me from commenting further,” Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel said in a statement.
The statement from the Canadian High Commissioner further reads that, “Canada values our relationship with India, based on shared values of democracy, pluralism, human rights and rule of law.”
Earlier, India had raised the issue with the Canadian government.
24/05/17 Sputnik

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Airlines caution passengers in Oman on cabin bag limits, time

Muscat: Passengers travelling through the Muscat International Airport should report at least three hours before departure of their flights as the busy summer season checks in, airline and travel agents officials said on Wednesday.

“We urge all the passengers to check in at least three hours before departure,” Wasim Zaidi, general manager-Oman, Jet Airways, said.

An official from Jet Airways also clarified that cabin baggage allowances for guests is seven kilogrammes (kg) in economy and 10 kg in Premiere.

“This allowance includes duty free,” an official clarified.

A senior official from Kuwait Airways also asserted that it is always better to check in as early as possible.
24/05/17 Times of Oman

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Russian Kamov helicopters' 'Make in India' price 2.5 times more that original cost

The price of Kamov light-utility choppers to be built in India is coming out to be almost 2.5 times the cost of the 60 such helicopters that would be built in Russia and supplied to the Indian Army and Air Force, for operations in high altitude areas such as Siachen and Ladakh.
The issue over price and transfer of technology are slowing the deal which the armed forces require urgently to be completed to replace their vintage fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers for critical operations.
Under a Indo-Russian governmental agreement, India is buying 200 Kamov 226 T helicopters of which 60 would be built in Russia and supplied directly to the forces while the remaining 140 would be manufactured in a joint venture between Kamov and HAL along with a private sector partner.
"During negotiations with the Russian side, it has come out that the cost of the 140 choppers to be built in India would be around 2.5 times the cost of the first 60 helicopters. There are certain issues over this in the acquisition wing," Defence sources told MAIL TODAY.
The progress of the deal may come up for discussion during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow planned early next month.
However, senior ministry officials said Make in India comes at a heavy cost as investments have to be made to create a new facility and manpower has to be trained along with acquisition of land for the new set up.
The government had selected HAL as a partner but later on it also thought of including a private sector partner for the joint venture company to promote private participation in defence but this is going to add further cost to the programme, the sources said.
23/05/17 Ajit Kumar Dubey/India Today

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AirAsia X Indonesia connects Indonesia, Malaysia and India

AirAsia X Indonesia on 19 May introduced daily flights from Denpasar (DPS) on the Indonesian island of Bali to Mumbai (BOM) in India via Kuala Lumpur (KUL) in Malaysia. The 3,621-kilometre sector between Malaysia and India is already served by Malaysia Airlines (double-daily flights) and Malindo Air (eight weekly flights). AirAsia X Indonesia will operate the route using its 377-seat A330-300s of which it currently has two. AirAsia X Indonesia CEO, Captain Sulistyo Nugroho Hanung said, “AirAsia X Indonesia is pleased to offer guests this new daily flight between Mumbai and Bali, Indonesia. We are so delighted to offer free seats on this route and hope that many will take advantage of this opportunity to travel to our beautiful island destination. We see this route as promising, as it opens connectivity for India’s population of one billion people to their dream holiday destination.”
23/05/17 anna.aero

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Indian national nabbed with drugs at KLIA

Sepang: An Indian national was arrested for trying to smuggle more than 8kg of ketamine worth about RM376,650 into the country.

The 38-year-old man was stopped by customs officers after he landed from Kochi, India, at KL Interna­tional Airport (KLIA) around 7.40am on Sunday.

Customs deputy director-general (GST) Datuk Zulkifli Yahya said a scan of the man’s luggage flagged what looked like drugs hidden in secret compartments inside 54 clutch bags.

“Our investigation revealed that the man was smuggling white crystal powder we believe is ketamine, weighing 8.37kg and worth around RM376,650,” he said at the KLIA Customs headquarters yesterday.

In two other cases, Zulkifli said his department seized large sums of undeclared cash being transported via KLIA.
23/05/17 The Star

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In bid to smuggle, Sri Lankan man swallows 12 gold pieces

Mumbai: It took 48 hours for a team of doctors at Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle to retrieve 12 pieces of gold weighing 300 gram from the stomach of a Sri Lankan national, who was caught for smuggling by the Mumbai airport customs on May 19.

While Mohamed Faheem (55), who arrived from Colombo by a Jet Airways flight, voluntarily ejected six pieces of gold from his rectum at the airport, persisted beeping of the metal detector led to him having to be admitted to the hospital. Doctors and nursing staff had a tough time to retrieve the 12 pieces from his stomach. In total, 505 gram of gold worth ₹14.9 lakh was recovered.

Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials said Mr. Faheem had cleared the customs green channel when he was directed to pass through the door frame metal detector. “Since it beeped giving indications of metals secreted in his body, we detained him.”
23/05/17 The Hindu

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Delhi-London return flight at only Rs 30,000? SpiceJet going for long haul

 New Delhi: Fighting bankruptcy only two years earlier, it plans a direct Delhi-London flight at a to-and-fro fare of Rs 30,000. The current rate for this is around Rs 45,000 and could be more during the peak season.
At its Gurgaon-based headquarters, planning is on for possible permutations and combinations. If all falls into place, the airline looks to start the route early next year.
“We feel there is huge demand for this. As the country becomes richer, personal incomes increase and people want to travel, provided fares are affordable. Imagine the demand a fare of Rs 15,000 on the Delhi-London route will have,” said Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director.
The airline says it is working to bring down the cost of operation, to enable low-ticket prices.  It is thinking of a single class all-economy cabin, with less leg space. And, separately pricing each additional service like meals, on-board Wi-Fi, seat selection, priority boarding and privileged check-in.
22/05/17 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

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Dassault Aviation Hopes To Sell More Rafale Jets To India

Geneva: French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation SA hopes to start talks with India by the end of the year for additional sales of its Rafale fighter jet, before full negotiations in 2018, Chief Executive Eric Trappier said in Geneva on Sunday.

He also said the company was awaiting more information on Canada's search for fighter planes.

Canada said on Thursday it was reviewing plans to buy military equipment from Boeing Co after the US planemaker launched a trade complaint alleging that Canada's Bombardier Inc had dumped jets into the US market.

In November, Canada said it wanted to buy 18 Boeing Super Hornets as a stopgap measure while it prepared a competition to replace its aging fleet of fighter jets.

According to industry sources, the Canadian government has also held talks with Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin and Saab.
22/05/17 Reuters/NDTV

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Australia launches ‘Great Airfare Sale’ to tap Indian market

Melbourne: In a bid to woo travellers from India, Australia today unveiled a campaign offering lucrative airfare deals to promote the country as a leisure destination. The ‘Great Airfare Sale’ launched by Tourism Australia (TA) – a government agency – covers eight leading airlines.
The industry campaign has roped in Air India, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas Airlines, Scoot, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways offering cheaper fares.
Under the programme, return tickets for Australia by Air India will cost from Rs 54,000, Qantas Airlines from Rs 51,000, Cathay Pacific from Rs 57,800, Singapore Airlines from Rs 50,000 and for Thai Airlines it will be from Rs 55,750.
The cheapest fares would be offered by Scoot from Rs 22,000 (ex-Chennai) and Air Asia from Rs 32,300, while Malaysia Airlines tickets will be from Rs 47,400.
Air India’s current charges for Australia begin at Rs 60,000, meaning the offer will provide a relief of at least Rs 6,000 to visitors to Australia. Qantas’s current fare is Rs 54,700. The other airlines too are providing similar benefits.
The offers continue till June 11 via various digital, social and print media platforms. The advertised fares will be valid for travel until March 2018.
22/05/17 PTI/Indian Express

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Bilaterals with Emirates: 4 into 1 pact possible only after nod from UAE, says Ashok Gajapathi Raju

New Delhi: The proposal to club the flying rights given to four separate Emirates — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras-Al-Khaimah — in a single pact can only be formalised if the UAE agrees to it, civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said. In an interview with FE, the minister said bilaterals need to be discussed bilaterally and cannot be done unilaterally, so it can only be done after the discussions and UAE’s approval. Currently, there are separate bilaterals with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras-Al-Khaimah.
“I don’t know about the historical background because in other cases also it was from country to country. So, I have no idea why the decision was taken to have separate agreements with four states. If that country is serious about it and wants it changed then we would not say that we are closed. As of now, there has not been any communication from the other side and is in the realm of speculation. If the desire is there then there is no problem, we can sit and negotiate,” Raju said. “If airlines on both sides have utilised 80% of the seats then the aviation ministry can negotiate for a revision, which is the case with the UAE,” he added.
The thinking in the ministry is that the move would benefit domestic carriers flying on international routes as well as the carriers in the UAE also.
The benefit with such a clubbing would be that an Indian carrier would be able to fly to those centres also where its seat deployments is full if deployment at other centres has capacity. For instance, currently the deployment of seats for Dubai is 65,200 which is full from both the sides. Any new Indian carrier therefore cannot fly to Dubai.
22/05/17  Malyaban Ghosh/Financial Express

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Indian expat pledges to buy air tickets for released prisoners in UAE

Dubai: An Indian philanthropist and business man has pledged to provide Dh40,000 monthly to fund air tickets for released prisoners to go back to their countries.

Firoz Merchant, the founder and chairman of a few gold stores in the UAE, signed a memorandum of understanding with Farak Fund to help the released prisoners.

He is also providing financial help to an Ajman police officer suffering from a neurological disorder. He will be allocating Dh60,000 for the policeman’s Chinese acupuncture treatment in Jordan. “In unity with the ‘Year of Giving’ initiative, we are working with the prison and law enforcement authorities to help insolvent prisoners, as well as members of the police force who work hard to ensure we continue to live in a secure and happy community,” said Merchant.
In January 2017, Merchant also pledged $1 million (Dh3.6 million) to pay off the debts of expatriates who have landed in jail.
22/05/17 Zawya

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SriLankan poised to become largest foreign carrier to India

SriLankan Airlines will have the largest network in India for a foreign airline with the addition of three new routes in July as a part of its regional expansion plans, the national carrier’s head told the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Summit that concluded in Negombo yesterday.  “In India we have added on three more destinations, which (will) make SriLankan Airlines the largest foreign carrier to India. We’ve added on Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Coimbatore, which makes a total of 12 destinations that we operate to in India,” SriLankan Chairman Ajith Dias said.
He said that these routes will be added starting from July, with Hyderabad being the first, and that some of these flights would operate daily. SriLankan has currently switched its focus to service the Asian region, after cancelling most of its long haul flights except London, although Dias said that the route slots to Frankfurt and Paris are still reserved by SriLankan just in case the airline decides to return to those destinations in the near future. Along with the focus on neighbouring destinations, a re-fleeting exercise is also taking place, with older long-range wide-bodied aircraft being replaced and augmented by six new short-range narrow-bodied A320neo aircraft, two of which have already been delivered.
22/05/17 Daily Mirror

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Nepal records 100,000 Indian arrivals by air in 2016

Mumbai: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has recorded over 100,000 Indian arrivals in 2016 through the air route, said Nabin Pokharel, Sr. Asst. Manager, Corporate Services Department, NTB. He was speaking at the destination training session programme organised by the NTB in association with Nepal Airlines and United Travel Agents on Saturday in Mumbai. Pokharel said that India continues to be the largest source market in terms of arrivals for Nepal, though China is closing the gap between the two countries.

At the training session, Pokharel made a presentation on latest tourism offerings of Nepal and urged the travel trade members in Mumbai to promote Nepal as a popular, peaceful destination among Indians.

Pokharel said, “Though North India remains a major contributor in terms of arrivals to Nepal, with religious tourism growing extensively South India is also emerging as top contributor to tourists arrivals. Unlike Europe which is our value market when it comes to adventure tourism, Indians are equally distributed to all the tourism activities offered in Nepal.”
22/05/17 TravelBizMonitor

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Indo-Russian project to develop aircraft hits roadblock over price, technology

New Delhi: An ambitious Indo-Russian project to co-develop fifth generation fighter planes has hit major roadblocks over the issues of price and technology even as New Delhi has scrapped a programme to jointly produce multirole transport aircraft with Moscow over similar issues.
India and Russia had signed an agreement around 2007 to co-develop both the transport plane and the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) as part of their attempt to pool in resources to develop latest and advanced variants of the aircraft to meet the global challenges in this domain. "We have decided to scrap the Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) as we don't need the plane anymore due to issues over the technology offered for the planes and constant delays," government sources told Mail Today.
The decision of the government and the Air Force has been conveyed to the Russians some time back, they said. On the FGFA programme, the sources said the aircraft being built under the plan are going to cost much more than what the Indian Air Force had expected and the technology on offer from Russia is also not up to global standards.
The Russians were developing the aircraft known as PAK-FA on their side as a counter to the American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightening which are considered the latest combat planes with stealth technologies and abilities to strike farther than their older counterparts.
21/05/17 Ajit Kumar Dubey/India Today

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2 land in Gulf on fake visas, get deported after two days

Mumbai: Two men who had taken a flight to Sharjah from Sahar airport on Tuesday were deported on Thursday for allegedly travelling on fake travel and work documents.
The men - Mohammed Rafique (29) and Abdul Hafeez (25) - who are from Lucknow were arrested after they landed at Sahar airport on Thursday night. They have been remanded in police custody till May 22. The police said that while the two men had gone abroad in the hope of improving the financial condition of their impoverished families, they have now ended up becoming poorer by Rs 80,000 which had been paid to the travel agent. While Rafique was to take up a carpenter's job, Hafeez was to work as a tailor.
The police said that the two men came under the scanner of airport officials in the Gulf as they had left India on travel visas, but showed work visas on landing in Sharjah. "Travelling on two visas is in itself illegal. Also, in this case both visas that each of them had were fake," said a police officer, adding that the two men have claimed ignorance that their travel documents were not genuine.
Rafique and Hafeez's travel agent in Lucknow had provided them visas and appointment letters for their jobs. "They managed to clear the immigration check at the Mumbai airport, but were caught at Sharjah when officials there found that they had travelled on tourist visas from Mumbai, but had shown work visas after landing there," said senior inspector BT Mukhedkar of Sahar police station. "Besides, their visas were fake."
20/05/17 V Narayan/Times of India

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IndiGo to fly directly to Singapore from Bengaluru

Bengaluru: IndiGo will operate a non-stop daily flight between Bengaluru and Singapore from June 10 to strengthen its network in the Asia-Pacific region, the country's leading low-cost private carrier said on Friday.
"Flyers can book tickets at Rs 14,242 for a round trip from June 10. Though fifth overall service between the two cities, it will be our first non-stop flight to Singapore from Bengaluru," the budget airline said in a statement here.
Taking off from Bengaluru at 9.20 p.m., the passengers will arrive in Singapore at 4.30 a.m. local time and leave for the return trip at 5.30 a.m. and land here at 8 a.m. Indian Standard Time, saving three hours of travel time each way.
"As Bengaluru and Singapore are strong business and tourism hubs, the route attracts huge passenger traffic from cities across south India. The large Indian diaspora on the island state regularly travels to their homeland to connect with their loved ones and heritage," IndiGo Chief Commercial Officer Sanjay Kumar said in a statement here.
19/05/17 Millenniumpost

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Non-stop service to Delhi with Air India

The number of long-haul routes from Stockholm Arlanda Airport continues to increase as Air India launches a non-stop service between Stockholm and Delhi.
There is strong demand for direct air links to India, both in leisure travel and from the business community, who will now have even more opportunities to continue travelling in Asia from the carrier's Delhi hub. Passenger volume between India and Sweden has grown by a full 50 per cent over the past three years.
With business dealings growing between Sweden and India, there is a great need for more access between the capitals of the two countries. Today passengers flying between them are divided equally between leisure and business travellers, as is the number of Indian and Swedish passengers in both directions. With the new air link, Swedish travellers will get not just a new route but also improved access to other destinations in Asia via Air India's hub in Delhi, according to Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
"Stockholm Arlanda is the fastest growing airport in Scandinavia. We are pleased that Air India has now chosen to set up operations in Stockholm and is also a clear confirmation of our strong growth. Sweden has the largest market in Scandinavia, and demand is increasing for non-stop services to India, especially among business travellers. The new route will also make it more convenient for the growing number of Indian visitors to fly to Stockholm," says Jonas Abrahamsson, CEO of Swedavia.
Making the announcement, Ashwani Lohani, Chairman & Managing Director of Air India, said, "As part of Air India's international route network expansion plans, we are happy to announce the Delhi-Stockholm direct flight from August 15, 2017. The flight will be operated thrice a week on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft."
19/05/17 The Financial

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Mahindra eyes deal with Russian airliner

Mumbai: The new Russian Irkut MC-21-300 airliner, which is undergoing flight tests this week in preparation for its first lift-off, could well have an Indian partner at the helm, with Mahindra and Mahindra close to inking a deal to supply airframe parts and assemblies as well as certain components for the civil aviation aircraft.

The aerospace unit of Mahindra and Mahindra is to manufacture parts for the Russian airliner, and could even lend a hand with designing the interiors of the aircraft, sources said. The first MC-21 aircraft is currently lodged at the flight test division of the Irkutsk Aviation plant located near Siberia, they added.

Mahindra and Mahindra spokesperson was not available for comment. An email sent to the Russian company did not elicit any response immediately.

“The Indian company has spent over seven years making aeroplane components in Australia, and has the capacity to scale up. It is looking to undertake aviation projects,” officials privy to the discussions told BusinessLine.

The Indian conglomerate was considered for partnership for the Irkut-MC-21 civil aviation aircraft on the basis of Mahindra Aerospace’s association with the manufacture of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, it is learnt.

The company manufactured some components and helped build the interiors of the Sukhoi Superjet. Russian airline Aeroflot is the Sukhoi Superjet’s single biggest buyer. Mahindra Aerostructures, a subsidiary of Mahindra Aerospace, has been keen to cement ties with aviation giants.
19/05/17 Business Line

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Jet Airways-investor Etihad Airways could merge with Emirates: Economist

Four years after India's full-service carrier Jet Airways brought Etihad Airways on board by offering 24 percent stake,  the Naresh Goyal-owned firm could see a new stakeholder: Emirates. Of course, this is currently in the realm of speculation.
Abu Dhabi's national carrier Etihad had picked up the stake in Jet Airways for $379 million in April 2013. However, its investments in Italian airline Alitalia and Germany's Air Berlin have become unproductive, raising the possibility of a merger with bigger rival Emirates, says the Economist.
Alitalia reporting bankruptcy two weeks ago and Air Berlin posting record losses of $739 million for 2016, coupled with falling crude oil prices, could push the Abu Dhabi-based carrier to two "radical" options: "closing down Etihad and even seeking a merger with Emirates," the magazine reported in its May 13, 2017 issue.
Etihad holds 49 percent stake in Alitalia and 30 percent in Air Berlin. But Emirates is "not keen" on buying Etihad, because two hubs would be daunting task.
19/05/17 SV Krishnamachari/IBTimes

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Indian Detained at US Airport for Not Having Documents, Dies in Custody

New York: A 58-year-old Indian who was detained last week for not possessing necessary immigration documents while entering the country died in custody at an Atlanta hospital, said officials.
Atul Kumar Babubhai Patel was taken in custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Atlanta City Detention Center last week for two days. He died on Tuesday afternoon at the hospital with the officials stating the preliminary cause of his demise as complications from congestive heart failure.
Patel arrived at the Atlanta airport on May 10 on a flight from Ecuador.
US Customs and Border Protection subsequently denied him entry into the country as he did not possess the necessary immigration documents, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement.
Patel was transferred into the ICE custody last week at the Atlanta City Detention Center where he received an initial medical screening and was found to have high blood pressure and diabetes.
On Saturday, two days after being in the ICE custody, a nurse checking Patel's blood sugar noticed he had a breathing problem following which he was shifted to a hospital where he passed away.
19/05/17 News18.com

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France ready to sell new fighter jets, submarines to India

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Under new President Emmanuel Macron, France will continue to beef up the Indian military arsenal with fighter jets and submarines. French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation and state-owned shipbuilder DCNS are in fact negotiating new deals with the Indian government for the sale of their Rafale multi-role aircraft and diesel-electric attack Scorpene-class submarine respectively.

Last Sunday, coinciding with Macron’s inauguration, Dassault Aviation chief executive Eric Trappier revealed to French daily Sud-Ouest that its company was talking to India about the sale of a further 57 Rafales.
Last September, Dassault Aviation secured an US$8.8 billion contract to supply the Indian Air Force with 36 Rafale jets. It is said that, once inducted, they will form two squadrons. One will be stationed in the state of Haryana, near the Pakistani border, and the other in West Bengal to face possible threats posed by China on the eastern front.

The new batch of 57 Rafale aircraft is intended for the Indian Navy, which must still develop the aviation complex for its domestically built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. The Indian government says the new flattop will be delivered in December 2018, but a national auditor reported last year that it might not be combat-ready before 2023. New Delhi has weighed other options for a new fighter platform for its aircraft-carrier force, including Sweden’s Saab Gripen, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and Russia’s MiG-29K.
19/05/17 Emmanuele Scimia/Asia Times

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Baahubali 2 Actor Prabhas Mobbed At US Airport!

The actor was mobbed at the US airport, owing to the global popularity Baahubali has garnered.
A large crowd had gathered outside the US airport on learning about the actor’s arrival.
Source adds, “Prabhas is known to be shy and prefers going unnoticed in public places. He was delighted witnessing the reception at the airport.”
Prabhas has become a household name ever since the release of Baahubali 2.
19/05/17 fabnews

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Air India's Delhi-Stockholm flight to boost ties: Sweden

Mumbai: Sweden today said Air Indias plan to launch non-stop flight services to its capital city Stockholm from New Delhi will boost the ties between the two countries besides promoting people-to-people relations.
The flag carrier of India has announced the launch of three-times-a-week flight services to the Swedish capital from August 15.
"This (New Delhi-Stockholm flight) comes at a very positive time in our relations and will continue to strengthen our partnership for the future.
"We appreciate the importance it will have for our bilateral relations, especially for people-to-people relations, for tourism in both directions, for students and for business and investment," Swedens Minister for Trade and EU Affairs Ann Linde said in a release today.
18/05/17 PTI/India Today

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Zoom Airlines to connect Jabalpur-Kolkata from May 30

ZOOM Airlines is going to start its airlines service connecting Jabalpur to Kolkata from coming May 30 onwards. Besides this, flight from Jabalpur to Pune would be started from August 16 informed Member of Parliament Rakesh Singh. He said that as a result of persistent efforts to strengthen connectivity of city with major centres of the country, routes for Kolkata and Pune have been opened with start of flight for both the cities.


It may be mentioned that since last few months, Member of Parliament Rakesh Singh is working to engage Zoom Airlines services for Jabalpur connecting to Kolkata, Pune and appealed the company to work in this direction. He also apprised the company about the profitability of the flight on both the routes. The services would provide connectivity for citizen on both the direction. MP Rakesh Singh to Zoom Airlines in this regard also gave a report.
17/05/17 The Hitavada

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A port, an airport, 2 harbours: Jaffna CM offers India a chance to checkmate China in Sri Lanka

WION's exclusive interview with the first democratically-elected chief minister of Sri Lanka's Northern Province, Justice CV  Wigneswaran

PRS: Justice CV Wigneswaran, it's a pleasure to see you again. You met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a dinner hosted by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena last week. What was your impression of Mr Modi - anecdotal, personal, whatever else you can tell us?

CVW: Well, I had no occasion to meet and discuss, except to exchange pleasantries. But I have met him earlier when he came to  Jaffna and I have very pleasant memories of that visit. I went with him to some of our temples and had the occasion to open  certain housing schemes etc. But even earlier, I had the occasion to hear of PM Modi as chief minister of Gujarat from Gujaratis when I visited  the state. They had a very high opinion of him. I have found that he is a very good administrator, focused in all that he is doing and  a very disciplined person. As a Hindu, I am also taken up by the way in which he lives his life -getting up early in the morning, doing his yoga and so on. So my assessment of him is very very positive and I have no doubt that he will take India to great  heights, both economically and otherwise.

PRS: Sir, could you please enunciate how the Northern Province and all Tamils in Sri Lanka would like India to shape its relationship with Colombo and also with Jaffna from now on?

CVW: India is our big neighbour. Their economy is thriving. They need to help their neighbours. But they also have a geopolitical  problem: the Chinese influence in the South Asian region. We would expect a country as close as India to help us. We have a  number of projects which were drawn up earlier but which were either abandoned due to the war or discontinued for other  reasons. We want those things to be brought back again especially with regard to the airport in Palaly, the Kankesanthurai harbour,  the Dhanushkodi-Thalaimannar ferry service. These were all there earlier and it would now help both countries if they were  resuscitated. Bringing them back to life will not only help the Tamils of the North and East but also the Sri Lankan government in  Colombo. A regional airport and two harbours in the North and East - Kankensanthurai (KKS) and Mullaithivu on the north-eastern  coast will be useful. At one stage, Mullaithivu catered to 1/3rd of the fishing needs of the entire island-nation. Reviving all these will be  beneficial to India, Sri Lanka and the Tamils of the North and East.  Both Sinhalese and Tamils want India to be a helpful big  brother.
17/05/17 WION

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Modi’s chopper flies back after emergency blessing

An Indian helicopter that broke down during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka returned home on Tuesday after replacing some vital engine parts and a blessing from the Temple of the Tooth, official sources said.
The Ukranian-built Mi-17 helicopter was grounded at Asgiriya in the district of Kandy since Friday and was repaired with spare parts flown in from India, sources said, adding that the return journey was not without drama.

On the first attempt after the repair, the transport aircraft in the VVIP squadron could not take off and local officials then asked the Indians to offer a “pooja” and seek the blessings of the Temple of the Tooth.

“They told us that they had already sought blessing from the temple the night before,” an official at Asgiriya said. “Then, the helicopter came to life on the second attempt and after they left, we did not hear from them. That is goods news. They have reached their destination safely.”

Locals in Kandy speculated that the aircraft got into trouble in the first place because they had violated the prohibited air space over the temple during their rehearsals ahead of Modi’s visit.

There was no official word on whether the Indians had indeed violated the no fly zone over the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the island, but officials said although residents saw the choppers in Kandy skies, it was unlikely they broke any  rules.
17/05/17 Economy next

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Kerala Tourism signs MoU with SilkAir

Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SilkAir in the presence of Kadakampalli Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Kerala. The initiative is to jointly promote tourism to Kerala from priority markets like Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Japan and Singapore by conducting roadshows and other special marketing programmes in the selected cities.

Surendran said, “Department of Tourism has been looking for more opportunities to spread words about the legacy of Gods own Country across all the global markets and to further increase the tourist footfall in Kerala in the coming years. I expect the agreement with SilkAir will benefit Kerala Tourism in terms of more tourists from the four significant markets with the help of its wide network and reputation as a quality service provider.”

P Balakiran, IAS, Director, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala said, “This MoU with SilkAir will allow us to strategically attract more travellers from the four specific markets to enjoy the unique local experiences here in the state of Kerala- God’s own country. This agreement will also bring direct and indirect benefits to many sectors of the economies of both the countries. SilkAir offers high-quality service and with their help under this mutually-beneficial MOU, we look forward to welcoming their passengers with impressive hospitality.”
16/05/17 T3 News Network

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Indian Air Force deploys new Rafale combat aircraft with Pakistan and China in mind

Faced with a two-front war scenario against Pakistan and China, the Indian Air Force is set to deploy its latest Rafale combat aircraft at Ambala in Haryana and Hasimara in West Bengal.
In September 2016, India signed a deal with French Dassault Aviation to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets for close to Rs 60,000 crore to meet the urgent requirements on the eastern and western fronts.
'One squadron (comprising 18 aircraft) would be based in Ambala, while the other would be deployed at Hashimara.

'These would cater to requirements on both the fronts,' a government official told Mail Today.
After aggressive patrolling by the Chinese on the eastern and northern borders and its increasing defence ties with Pakistan, the Indian military has been preparing itself for a two-front war and developing infrastructure on both sides.
The earlier plan was to deploy one squadron at Sarsawa air base in Uttar Pradesh, but that did not work out due to land acquisition issues, after which Ambala was chosen.
The Ambala base has some jaguar aircraft squadrons catering to the western front.
On the eastern front, the Hasimara air base close to the China border would see Rafale planes replacing the existing MiG 27 squadrons, which are on their way out of the air force.
16/05/17 Ajit K Dubey/Daily Mail

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Legal weed is now just one flight away

So, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has announced that it’ll soon start direct flights from Mumbai to Amsterdam. So now you can now finally fly to the breathtakingly beautiful capital of The Netherlands to explore its canal-lined streets and post envy-inducing Instagram updates. And of course, there is the matter of legal weed. The official carrier of The Netherlands will soon be making it a hell of a lot easier for folks in Mumbai to get to the capital of weed-freedom (and creative condoms, if you are into that sort of thing). We may be shory-selling the Dutch capital by focussing only on its high-quality pot but then every other thing you can do in Amsterdam is a lot better when you’re high AF, right?

On a slightly serious note, KLM will run three direct flights between the two cities every week and it will on its flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner carrier, which boasts of 30 World Business Class seats, 45 Economy Comfort seats and 219 Economy Class seats – so there’s space for everyone. As for when you’ll actually be able to fly directly to Amsterdam, the service is expected to start as early as October 29, which is just in time for winter so be sure to pack some warm clothes.
16/05/17 GQ

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Tributes paid to aviation pioneer Maneck Dalal in UK

London: Tributes were paid to Maneck Dalal, the aviation pioneer behind international expansion of Air India, who recently passed away here.

Speaking at a condolence meeting held at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here, India's High Commissioner to the UK Y K Sinha described Dalal, 98, as a "legendary figure" for the immense contribution he has made in the field of aviation by starting the first flight of Air India from Heathrow to New Delhi and Bombay in 1948.

He died on March 6 this year.

At the age of 29 and at the behest of his hero JRD Tata, the young post graduate from Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, started Air India Office in London in 1948.

He had joined Tata Airlines (Air India) in 1946 and was its Manager in New Delhi, when he had the opportunity to meet Mahatma Gandhi in 1946-1947.

Two years later he was sent to London.

Dalal was truly one of the builders of Air India and was its regional director from 1959-1977.
When he started the twice weekly operations for Air India in 1948 in London, only eight airlines operated out of Heathrow Airport, which was only a collection of huts - one of them being Dalal's office, the Times newspaper said in its recent obituary column.
16/05/17 PTI

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Passengers could soon fly direct from Manchester to India, Bangkok and Shanghai

Passengers could be flying direct from Manchester to India, Bangkok and Shanghai in the next two years.
Airport bosses are eyeing up launching services to the Far East, Middle East and the USA if deals can be hammered out.
It follows a booming year for new direct destinations, which have included Houston, Oman and Casablanca.
Thomas Cook has this week launched its route to San Francisco , joining Virgin Atlantic in offering a direct service to the tech hub.
Collette Roche, interim managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “We are looking to launch new routes in the US, Far East and Middle East.
“In the Far East we are looking to pursue the likes of Bangkok and Shanghai. We are really quite interested in securing an India route quite soon. It’s about working with the regions to forge links with the Indian government to make sure they support their airlines over here. We are in talks with a number of airlines. We’d like to have the same success with India as we have with China.
16/05/17 Charlotte Cox/Manchester Evening News

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Delhi-Tel Aviv flight put on hold for now

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious diplomatic outreach towards India’s new found strategic partner Israel by starting a direct Air India flight to Tel Aviv from New Delhi is facing trouble due to viability of the route.

Air India had planned a non-stop flight to Tel Aviv three times a week starting mid-May, with inaugural flight initially planned for May 16, connecting Tel Aviv with New Delhi ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel later this year.

However, it has now emerged that operating such a flight would not be commercially viable till the time India gets permission from the Islamic countries, which fall on the way, to fly in their air space to reach the Israeli city.

Since most of the Islamic and Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, which lie between Mumbai and Tel Aviv, do not allow planes to fly to Israeli cities from its airspace, Air India pilots would have had to take a very circuitous route to avoid overflying countries that have such restrictions for Israel-bound planes.
16/05/17 Girja Shankar Kaura/Tribune

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After 16 years, KLM to return to Mumbai

KLM is resuming Amsterdam-Mumbai service after 16 years with a thrice weekly flight beginning from October 29.

KLM (part of the Air France-KLM group) will deploy a 294-seat Boeing 787-9 aircraft on the route and the new service will enable Air France-KLM to catch up with Lufthansa that is now the biggest European airline flying to India.

In a statement KLM CEO Pieter Elbers said with the addition of the new flight there would be 31 direct flights between India and the Netherlands each week. “KLM’s network presence in India has grown enormously since we began our strategic cooperation with Jet Airways,” he said.

Earlier this month, Elbers visited Mumbai and met Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal to explore further avenues for cooperation.
15/05/17 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Cheap Colombo flight tickets till May 17

VISAKHAPATNAM: Sale of tickets of direct flights from Vizag to Colombo has already commenced in the city.
Sri Lankan Airlines is launching direct flights from July 8 this year. The flight would operate four days a week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The price of tickets for a round-trip from Vizag to Colombo would be Rs 13,000 per person. The tickets are available with about 60 travel operators in the city and online.
15/05/17 The Times Of India

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Dassault Aviation sees new deal for its Rafale fighter jet in 2018: report

French plane-maker Dassault Aviation SA sees a new sale contract for its Rafale fighter jet in 2018, Chief Executive Eric Trappier said in an interview with French regional newspaper Sud-Ouest on Sunday.

"After a contract signed in India, regarding the delivery of 36 Rafale jets, and the order of 24 of these aircraft by Egypt and 24 other by Qatar, we should soon conclude a fourth contract abroad, but it will rather be in 2018," Trappier said in the interview.

Dassault Aviation is also in talks with India over a potential second contract, Trappier added.

"We're notably in talks with Malaysia over 18 aircraft, but also with India over a second contract," the plane-maker's CEO said. "India's needs are enormous. Hence, for its navy, 57 aircraft are considered," he added.
14/05/17 Reuters

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Modi in Sri Lanka: Direct Air India flight to now connect Colombo, Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that India's flag carrier Air India would begin direct flights between Colombo and the holy city of Varanasi from August.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, made the announcement of the beginning of the flights during his address at the inauguration of the International Vesak Day, the biggest festival of Buddhists.

He said the flights will allow "my Tamil brothers and sisters" to visit Varanasi, the land of Kashi Viswanath.

At a distance of 10 kilometres from Varanasi, lies Sarnath, one of the most revered Buddhist pilgrimage centres.

It is believed that after attaining the enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, it was in Sarnath that Lord Buddha preached his first sermon, sanctified as Maha Dharm Chakra Parivartan.
12/05/17 PTI/Business Standard

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Air India Express eyes tie-up with flydubai

Air India Express is in discussions with Dubai-based flydubai for collaboration opportunities, including code share among their flights.
Part of the Air India group, the carrier has plans to fly to new destinations and is working on ways to spread its wings further. An official said the airline, which operates a significant number of flights to Gulf nations, is discussing ways to collaborate with flydubai for possible sales and marketing beyond Dubai.
11/05/17 PTI/Gulf News Aviation

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SpiceJet Starts Daily Flights To Male From Bangalore And Trivandrum

SpiceJet, which has been expanding its network fast in recent months, today launched its daily direct flight services from Thiruvananthapuram to Male.

The service will also be used to carry passengers from the Bangalore airport to Male via Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state.

The airline said the route offers the “least connecting time” for flyers from the IT capital to the island nation.

The daily flight SG 93 will leave Trivandrum at 12:25 at noon and arrive in Male at 13:25 local time. The duration of the flight will be around 90 minutes.

The return flight will be at 2:10 PM, to reach Kerala at 16:05 PM.

SpiceJet will use a Bombardier Q400 on the route.

Besides Male, SpiceJet also offers connectivity to six other international destinations among – Dubai, Bangkok, Colombo, Kabul, Dhaka, and Muscat.
11/05/17 Trisha Thomas/Ultra

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Etihad announces UAE visa on arrival for Indians

Etihad has announced UAE visa on arrival for Indians, with a rider though.

According to Etihad, Indian citizens are now eligible for a visa on arrival to the country. In order to qualify, they must either have a US visitor visa or a Green Card. The passport of the traveller also has to have at least six months of validity.

It would cost Dh100 for a visa that is valid for a maximum stay of 14 days. This visa can be extended by another 14 days by paying a renewal fee of Dh250. These new visa guidelines are aimed at holidaymakers as well as those who happen to have families based in the country.
11/05/17 Khaleej Times

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Jet Airways flight suffers ‘tail strike’

A Bangkok-bound Jet Airways flight carrying 188 people today suffered “suspected tail strike” and came back to the airport here.
The airline said the aircraft landed safely and all the 180 passengers and eight crew members have deplaned.
The crew of flight 9W-70 executed an air turn back to Mumbai on account of a ‘suspected’ tail strike, a Jet Airways spokesperson said in a statement.
The aircraft is being inspected by the Jet Airways Engineering team and ground personnel.
12/05/17 PTI/India.com

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SriLankan Airline flights to make four trips a week from Visakhapatnam airport

VISAKHAPATNAM: The much anticipated SriLankan Airlines which will kickstart its services from Visakhapatnam to Colombo from July 8, would operate four times a week-on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, said members of Tours and Travels Association.

Addressing the newsmen here on Thursday, the members said that the flight would take off from Colombo at 7.10 am on the scheduled days and land in Vizag airport at 9.10 am.
It would again take off from Visakhapatnam at 10.10 am and land in the Sri Lanka capital at 12.15 am.
12/05/17 The New Indian Express

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Air India to Debut in Kenya, Add More Destinations in US, Europe

Air India has stepped up its international expansion plans to the US, Europe and will debut in Kenya this year, a top executive has said.

"To Washington from 7th July, Stockholm from 15th August and Los Angeles from 1st September. Air India spreads its wings far and wide," Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani said in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning. This will be followed by Tel Aviv in Israel, Dallas in the US and Nairobi in Kenya sometime later in 2017 itself, he said.
09/05/17 Tarun Shukla/Aviation Pros

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Georgia to connect six Indian cities with flights

Georgia will soon launch flights to six Indian cities soon, the Caucasian region country's Ambassador to India Archil Dzuliashvili said here on Tuesday.

"The government of Georgia has signed an air service agreement with India's Ministry of Civil Aviation for this. Soon we will meet Indian airline companies to launch flights between the two countries," Dzuliashvili said at a meeting of World Trade Centre and All India Association of Industries.


Planning to expand economic relations, both nations are conducting a feasibility study to sign a Free Trade Agreement, he said.

"The report of the study would be ready in six months. We would launch formal negotiations for the agreement. Georgia already has an FTA with European Union and initiated talks on FTAs with US and Canada," the envoy added.

Pointing out that Georgia is located at the crossroads of West Asia and Europe, he invited Indian companies to invest in his country and make it a gateway for their entry into the EU.

Georgia is in the process of establishing road/rail connectivity with Bulgaria, Romania and other countries in the Black Sea which are emerging destinations for trade and investment to make Georgia an international trading hub, said Dzuliashvili.

In his welcome remarks, WTC Mumbai Vice Chairman Vijay Kalantri said that currently, the annual bilateral trade between India-Georgia stands at $107 million and is expected to grow higher and faster in the next five years.

"To further enhance the trade ties between the two countries, the WTC Mumbai will shortly take a 30-member delegation in September to Georgia representing sectors like food processing, pharma, hospitality, healthcare, realty, solar energy, tourism, shipping, logistics, tea and entertainment," he said.
09/05/17 Business Standard

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SpiceJet eyes Rs 25,000 return fare to Western Europe on its proposed budget long haul flights

NEW DELHI: Flying to western Europe for a summer break may not remain just a dream if SpiceJet's plans for medium to long haul international flights work out. The low cost carrier (LCC) is currently working out the economies of this model and says return fares could be about Rs 25,000 to places like London, Paris and Amsterdam in all-economy seating wide body aircraft. Return fares on these sectors is mostly upwards of Rs 40,000 on full service Indian and foreign airlines, especially in peak travel seasons.
This January SpiceJet had placed an order for up to 205 Boeing aircraft — 155 B-737 and an optional order for 50 more that was a mix of wide and narrow body planes. "We are evaluating the low cost long haul model for which an optional order for wide body planes has been placed. There is a good market for this segment in India if a good product is offered at the right price. Imagine the demand that a fare of Rs 10,000-15,000 on Delhi-London will have," SpiceJet chairman Ajay Singh had said on January 13 while signing the deal with Boeing.
The airline has made headway with those plans and shared some key features with TOI. "SpiceJet will follow the same low cost/no frills model on its long haul routes as it does on its domestic and short haul international sectors where passengers pay for additional services like meals, seat selection, priority check-in, priority boarding and excess baggage. However, unlike some other international LCCs, the first (check-in) bag would be free of charge," said a SpiceJet official.
A leading international long haul LCC, for instance charges $32 for a check-in bag of up to 20 kg — one way -- on its India-Southeast Asia flights. So if SpiceJet is able to offer this service at no extra cost, that will be significant saving for flyers.
09/05/17 Saurabh Sinha/The Times Of India

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Indian Aviation Market Third Fastest Growing After Russia, China

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — China's domestic aviation market grew by 15.1% in comparison to Russia's 14.8% and India's 14.6%, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its report.
The Chinese growth is an indication of the reversing economy growth.
"The solid upward trend in traffic is underpinned by ongoing robust growth in the country's services sector, as well as supply developments," report added.
The Indian aviation market grew at its slowest pace since September 2015.
"This is the first possible sign of reduced cash supply and wider economic uncertainty weighing on demand." This refers to the demonetization move initiated by the Narendra Modi government in November 2016 whereas 86% of the currency lost its legal tender status.
Russia posted the second fastest domestic growth in March.
08/05/17 Sputnik 

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Of 55 nations that fly non-stop to and from India, Pak 50th

MUMBAI: About 55 countries are air-linked to India by nonstop, commercial passenger flights, and if these nations were ranked on the basis of number of passengers who fly to and fro, Pakistan would be found holding a lowly 50th rank, ahead only of countries like Kyrgyzstan, Iraq, Tajikistan, Reunion Island and Yemen. Only 28,000 passengers boarded nonstop flights between India and Pakistan last year as against, say, the 21 lakh who flew between India and Sri Lanka. With Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspending its Karachi operations to India, the neighbour is now set to fall to the bottom of that list this year.
Currently , only PIA operates direct flights between India and Pakistan. On Monday , the last 189-seater PIA A320 aircraft took off from Mumbai airport for Karachi at 2.40pm with 120 passengers on board.Till now, PIA air-linked Mumbai with Karachi on Mondays and Thursdays. It has also suspended its Delhi-Karachi operations, leaving Lahore-Delhi as the only flight PIA will operate to India.
The airline had said the decision to suspend the Karachi flights was a commercial one and wasn't a result of the recent tension between the two neighbours. A look at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation statistics on the passenger traffic between India and Pakistan only corroborates that. In 2016, a total of 28,154 pas sengers flew between India and Pakistan on PIA 's Karachi-Mumbai, Karachi-Delhi and Lahore-Delhi to and fro flights. It was a fall of 27% as compared to the 38,652 passengers who flew between India and Pakistan in 2015 (the data doesn't include passengers who fly between India and Pakistan via the Middle East or other transit stops).
09/05/17 Manju V/The Times Of India

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Vistara dials British Airways for partnership ahead of overseas launch

Vistara is looking to grow its commercial ties with British Airways (BA) as it prepares to launch overseas flights next year.

Enhanced co-operation will help Vistara in securing passengers and brand recognition in the United Kingdom, which it hopes to connect as a part of its international network strategy. The tie up will enable BA to grow its share in the Indian market.

Government regulations do not allow Vistara to operate international service until it has a minimum 20 aircraft in its fleet. At present, the airline has 13 Airbus A320 aircraft and, according to consultancy CAPA, it is set to order 100 planes, including 50 wide body Boeing 777x.

Sources said that Vistara and BA are discussing code shares and frequent flyer programme co-operation. Vistara Chief Executive Officer Phee Teik Yeoh is expected to meet the senior management of BA over the next few days to discuss the partnership.

A code share with BA will be Vistara's second such commercial agreement. Vistara already has a code share pact with Singapore Airlines, its co-promoter.

A code share is a form of commercial co-operation among airlines which allows them to sell tickets on each others networks while a frequent flyer programme co-operation enables loyalty club members to earn and burn miles on networks of two or more airlines.

"Vistara has a number of interline relationships with various airlines, including British Airways, as well as code-share partnerships with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir. As a full service GDS-based airline, such relationships and partnerships are normal business. We currently have interline agreements with 15 international airlines and are working on several others. We have nothing more to share at this point," a Vistara spokesperson said.

"We do not comment on rumours and speculation," British Airways, for its part, said.

"If Vistara and British Airways decide to enhance their partnership from an interline to codeshare, it will be a win win for both. A sizeable percent of British Airways capacity (18 per cent) is in premium economy and no airline other than Vistara provides premium economy service in India. Thus, it will help British Airways sell the same class of service on onward routes flown by Vistara," said aviation analyst Ameya Joshi.
09/05/17 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Tiruchi-Kuala Lumpur sector is flying high

Kuala Lumpur has emerged as the most sought-after overseas destination from Tiruchi with the addition of one more daily flight service to the Malaysian capital.

Low-cost carrier Air Asia introduced its fourth service in the Tiruchi– Kuala Lumpur–Tiruchi sector on April 26, taking the total number of daily services to seven. Malindo Air operates three flights a day in the same sector.

Air Asia’s latest night service arrives in Tiruchi at 9.45 p.m. and departs at 10.30 p.m. The overseas airliner is operating its signature Airbus A-320 flight with 180 seats and the response has been good.

“The flight is running with packed capacity every day since its launch,” said an airline official.

Aviation sources foresee a good rush to Kuala Lumpur during summer vacation, which has already started in the state. Air Asia tops the list of foreign carriers, which includes Sri Lankan Airlines, Air India Express, Malindo Air and Tiger Airways, operating services from Tiruchi to various overseas destinations.

With the addition of one more daily service, Tiruchi today has the highest number of daily flights to Kuala Lumpur compared to other non-metro airports in the country, the sources said. Further, Air Asia offers connectivity to Singapore, Australia and other South East Asian sectors from the Malaysian capital. This factor, coupled with low cost, has prompted overseas passengers to opt for the airliner.
09/05/17 R Rajaram/The Hindu

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Air India To Fly To Los Angeles, Stockholm, Nairobi This Year

New Delhi: National carrier Air India will launch flights to three new destinations in the US as well as to Stockholm, Nairobi and Tel Aviv this year, its chief Ashwani Lohani said today.

Making it the fifth non-stop destination in the United States, a direct service would start to Washington from July 7, followed by a flight to Los Angeles from September 1 and then to Dallas.

Air India, which is working on ways to revive its fortunes, would commence service to the Swedish capital Stockholm from August 15.


Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said it would also start flights to Tel Aviv (Israel), Nairobi (Kenya) and Dallas (the US) this year.
09/05/17 PTI/NDTV

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Geopolitics plays spoilsport for Air India's Middle East flight plans

Geopolitics has become a hindrance for India’s national carrier, Air India’s, planned flights. At least one new route has been nixed and the airline is having second thoughts about another.

Air India has delayed its proposed Delhi-Tel Aviv flight due to airspace restriction by Arab nations for flights to and from Israel, while its low cost subsidiary, Air India Express, has dropped the Delhi–Tehran route due to sanctions imposed by the Donald trump administration over Iran.

Air India officials say that the proposed Delhi-Tel Aviv has been postponed indefinitely and may not even materialise due to the ban. The ban will force the airline to take a longer route which the management feels will not be economically viable. Air India CMD Ashwani lohani had announced earlier this year that it was in the final stages of starting a non-stop Delhi-Tel Aviv flight through a B-787 Dreamliner.
09/05/17 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

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