Showing posts with label Foreign Oct 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreign Oct 2015. Show all posts

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Bird-hit Cathay Pacific freighter returns to Delhi airport

New Delhi:  A London-bound Cathay Pacific cargo aircraft from here returned to Indira Gandhi International Airport under emergency conditions due to a suspected bird hit.

"Our freighter CX37 from Delhi to London experienced a bird-hit upon take-off. Hence the captain decided to return to Delhi, and as per our protocol, all emergency procedures were followed, Cathay Pacific spokesperson Charlie Stewart-Cox said.

The Boeing 747-400 freighter remained airborne for about an hour during this period, airport sources said.
30/10/15 PTI/Times of India

Vistara's network need not be aligned with its parent Singapore Airlines: Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO

Mumbai: Vistara's CEO said the airline doesn't need to align with its parent Singapore Airlines' vast global network, once it gets the right to fly international flights.
"First and foremost, I need to dispel the myth that Vistara's network needs to be aligned with Singapore Airlines. 70% of the travellers actually travel westwards, away from Singapore to Europe and US. I don't know how this conclusion comes about but if you look at the way we have been spreading our presence overseas (on our own), we are partnering several carriers. We have recently struck (interline) partnerships with British Airways and Japan Airlines," Phee Teik Yeoh told a press conference on Friday.

He was speaking ahead of the government's announcement of its new draft aviation policy. Players such as Vistara have been pushing the government to change a set of rules that now require an Indian airline to operate domestic flights for 5 years and scale up to a fleet of 20 planes before being considered for international operations. The government still hasn't taken any decision on what to do with the 5/20 rule. Yeoh said the current policy compares poorly with liberal aviation policies of countries such as Dubai which are gaining at the expense of Indian carriers.
31/10/15 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times

CALC completes five A320 aircraft deliveries to Air India

Hong Kong: China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited, the largest independent operating aircraft lessor in China, completed the delivery of the fifth A320 aircraft to Air India Ltd at the facilities of Airbus in Toulouse, France on 28 October 2015, marking the 56th delivered aircraft of CALC’s fleet.

Along with the four aircraft which have already been delivered earlier this year, CALC has completed deliveries of five A320 aircraft to Air India under a 12-year operating lease agreement signed in September 2014. Air India is CALC’s first non-Chinese customer while the transaction was the first time for the national carrier to cooperate with a Chinese enterprise. The fast and flexible delivery arrangements again demonstrate high levels of collaboration and innovation of CALC’s team, as well as its close relationship with Airbus.
31/10/15 eTN

AirAsia wins Asia's best cabin crew award

Hong Kong: AirAsia has become the first low-cost airline to be awarded Asia's Leading Cabin Crew at the prestigious World Travel Awards (Asia and Australasia) Gala 2015.

Other airlines nominated in the Asias Leading Cabin Crew category include Air India, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Southern Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Thai Airways.

Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia said, "I am very proud of what our team of cabin crew has achieved.

"Today is an example of what pushing the boundaries mean we are not just a low-cost airline, but an airline that provides high value.
31/10/15 The Star

India offers to airlift Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to Nepal

New Delhi: In the wake of China agreeing to supply oil to Nepal, India today offered to airlift Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to the Himalayan country to beat the ongoing blockade on the border.

Reacting guardedly to the agreement between Nepal and China for oil supplies, a 'concerned' India said its impact on the future of Indo-Nepal trade has to be seen and hoped that Kathmandu will "sincerely" address the problems which have caused the current situation and that their bilateral relationship will return to its original status.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India was ready to facilitate airlifting of the aviation turbine fuel, as was done in past, as also re-routing of LPG supplies from those crossings which were not affected.
30/10/15 PTI/Times of India

All the Rajini fans: Even Malaysian Airlines' pilots don't want to miss the chance...

Since the moment Superstar took off for Malaysia on this Malaysian Airlines flight, a selfie-virus seems to have taken over Malay land. After coming to know that Superstar Rajinikanth was on board the flight, both the Captain and the Second Captain of the plane shifted the flight to auto-pilot post take off, and requested the Indian actor to pose with them for a selfie.
The Selfie-With-Rajinikanth mania possessed fans of the veteran actor even before he could step on to the flight. Once inside the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the ground authorities too requested Rajinikanth to star in their selfies.
30/10/15 TS Sudhir/India Today

Friday, October 30, 2015

Malaysia makes ₹1,500-cr offer to run Shirdi airport

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has received an expression of interest from private and foreign sovereign entities to operate at least five airports in the State. They include a bid from the Malaysian Government which has agreed to invest ₹1,500 crore to take over Shirdi airport’s operations.

“We have started work on commercialising five airports at Kolhapur, Solapur, Shirdi, Amravati and Jalgaon. We have got proposals from certain private players who want to start these routes. We are working with them,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told BusinessLine.

With 21 airports in the State, Maharashtra has the highest number of flying destinations in the country, yet only four are commercially open because of a lack of funds. Fadnavis is now trying to change that with the help of private investments.

He said the State is receiving a lot of international bids to take up the operations of these airports. “Shirdi airport is where the Malaysian government has come forward and they want to invest ₹1,500 crore and take over all operations,” he said.
29/10/15 Varun Aggarwal/Business Line

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Qatar Airways chief rules out bid for stake in India's IndiGo

The CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, said on Tuesday that the airline will not be bidding for a stake in Indian's biggest airline by passenger numbers, IndiGO, which has launched an initial public offering.
In July, Qatar Airways said it was in talks with IndiGO about taking a stake, but IndiGO said it was not in talks with the carrier for a stake sale.
The initial public offering (IPO) of InterGlobe Aviation, the promoter of low-cost carrier IndiGo, received good response on the first day on Tuesday, with the qualified institutional investor (QIB) quota getting oversubscribed within the first hour.
The aviation company saw QIBs bidding for 97,45,590 shares, around 1.14 times the number of shares on offer in this segment.
27/10/15 Arabain Business.com

Malindo Air arrives in Amritsar

Malindo Air on 25 October began its seventh route to India from its Kuala Lumpur (KUL) base. Amritsar (ATQ) will be served thrice-weekly using the airline’s 737-900s. The 4,276-kilometre route becomes the airline’s longest and the LCC will not face any direct competition. Amritsar joins Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirapally and Visakhapatnam which are the other Indian cities already served by the carrier. In all Malindo Air now serves 19 destinations non-stop from Kuala Lumpur. Located in northern India, Amritsar’s airport handled just over one million passengers in the last year, around one quarter of which were travelling on international flights.
28/10/15 Anna.aero

China proposes bigger bilateral flight quota

With air traffic on India-China route on the rise, Chinese aviation authorities have proposed to increase bilateral seat entitlements for designated airlines of the two countries.

Responding to this, the Indian aviation ministry has called a meeting of domestic airlines such as Air India, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and IndiGo to discuss their requirements before taking the Chinese proposal forward.

“A meeting would be held this week with airlines to assess their requirements for additional seats,” a government official said.

While Chinese airlines have increased seats and frequency between the two countries, Indian carriers have failed to utilise seats allocated to them. As per an official data for the summer schedule this year, Indian carriers operated only 1,024 seats utilising less than one-fourth of 5,000 seats a week allocated to them.

As against this, the three Chinese carriers Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines operated about 7,900 seats a week.

Indian carriers SpiceJet and Jet Airways which earlier operated to China have withdrawn their flights due to commercial unviability. Chinese carriers have, however, maintained their lead over their Indian counterparts.
28/10/15 Nirbhay Kumar/my digital fc

Silence and longing: Air India redacted

On June 23, 1985 a bomb went off on Air India flight 182 and 329 people died—82 of them children. The bombing is the largest terrorist incident and mass murder in Canadian history, with reverberations that 30 years later continue to touch the victims’ families—most of them Canadian—and many others.

Now, Irish composer Jürgen Simpson has conceived a musical experience, air india [redacted], which explores the issues of silence and longing associated with this act of aviation terror.

Simpson has researched the Air India bombing extensively since 2007, with repeated visits to the Ahakista memorial in Ireland and to the hospital in Cork where recovered bodies were taken.
28/10/15 Ian Bryce/SFU News

Two Indians Arrested At Newark Airport For Bid To Smuggle Aliens

Two people from India, who allegedly conspired to smuggle illegal immigrants from the country to the United States, were arrested last week on their arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and charged with conspiracy to bring foreign nationals into the U.S. for financial gains.

Authorities said in a press release that Nilesh Kumar Patel, 41, and Harsad Mehta, 65, both of India, allegedly ran a smuggling operation and were trying to find methods to illegally smuggle foreign nationals from India into the U.S.

Both were arrested Oct. 21 on their arrival at the airport by special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, who announced the Oct. 21 arrest of the duo, said that investigations revealed that a smuggling organization recruited Indian nationals and others to pay fees in exchange for passage to the United States.

Patel, 41 and Mehta were charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to bring in and harbor aliens. In addition, Patel was charged with six counts and Mehta is charged with four counts of smuggling foreign nationals into the U.S. for private financial gain.
28/10/15 News India Times

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

SpiceJet, Air India Express assessing more Dubai flights

Dubai: Indian low cost carriers, Air India Express and SpiceJet, are reviewing plans to launch flights to Dubai from secondary cities in India.

Air India Express is looking at launching direct flights from Ahmedabad, Madurai and Chandigarh in the next 12 months, Chief Executive K. Shyam Sundar told Gulf News on Monday.

The low cost arm of national carrier Air India will receive six Boeing 737-800s, all on lease, between February and November next year to launch the new flights.

“Some of the markets I am pretty certain about, some are still being assessed,” Sundar said at an aviation conference.

Air India Express will also soon launch four weekly services between the Indian capital New Delhi and Doha in Qatar, he said.

Competitor SpiceJet is also looking at new flights to Dubai, but will have to hold back until new aircraft arrive, Sanjiv Kapoor, SpiceJet Chief Operations Officer told reporters. “We are doing pretty well on our Dubai routes,” he said.
26/10/15 Alexander Cornwell/Gulf News

British Airways may expand its interline agreement with Vistara

New Delhi: British Airways may expand its interline agreement with Vistara as and when the Tata-group promoted carrier expands in the Indian skies.

"Vistara offers a great product and we have an interline agreement with the airline. Currently, all options are on the table," Moran Birger, Regional Commercial Manager for South Asia at British Airways replied when asked about extending the alliance with Vistara.

Apart from an interline agreement with Vistara, the carrier also has agreements with Air India and Jet Airways. Birger was speaking at an event after their new Boeing 787-900 landed in New Delhi this morning. London-New Delhi has become British Airways' first route, where the airline has launched its Boeing 787-900.
26/10/15 Economic Times

British Airways deploys its first Boeing on Delhi route

New Delhi: In a sign of the growing importance of Indian aviation market for the world's biggest airlines, British Airways has deployed its first Boeing 787-9 on the London-Delhi route. The brand new aircraft landed in Delhi on Monday.

BA's second 787-9 joined the fleet last week and will start flying to Abu Dhabi and Muscat on November 5. Other future routes include Kuala Lumpur, Austin and San Jose, California.

The new 787s are the centrepiece of BA's £5 billion investment programme to benefit customers. A total of 42 Dreamliners will join BA and this aircraft will become the mainstay of the airline's fleet. BA's B787-9 Dreamliner is 20 feet longer than its 787-8 predecessor and has four classes with an addition of a new first cabin.
26/10/15 Saurabh Sinha/Economic Times

Chinese airlines expand India flights

Mumbai: Chinese airlines are expanding capacity on Indian routes with new direct flights and deployment of wide body planes.

On Monday Air China launched direct flight between Mumbai-Beijing with a Airbus A330 aircraft which can seat over 300 passengers in three class configuration.

This flight replaces its Mumbai-Shanghai service which was operated with narrow body Airbus A319 aircraft.

Also from December 9 China Southern Airlines will operate a Boeing 787 aircraft on one of its two daily Guangzhou-Delhi flights. Currently the airline operates two narrow body Boeing 737s on this route.

Growth in trade and tourism links is said to be the reason behind expansion of capacity from Chinese airlines. Also airlines including Air China offer onward connections to destinations in the US and Canada.
26/10/15 Business Standard

Africa, India, China, Dubai: What do they all have in common?

An African airline, namely RwandAir, is due to receive two Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft next year, and the airline is considering routing the planned flights to Guangzhou and Mumbai via Dubai.

Plans by RwandAir to launch Mumbai flights, using a B737-800NG via Dar es Salaam, came to naught when the Tanzanian aviation regulators denied the airline fifth freedom rights, claiming their own national airline was planning to launch flights, a preposterous suggestion causing widespread amusement considering the moribund state of Air Tanzania.

The Airbus order, however, puts paid to that plan as RwandAir will be able to launch flights from Kigali directly to Mumbai, but given that the airline apparently holds fifth freedom rights out of Dubai, it may well be a viable option to route east-bound intercontinental flights via DXB and pick up additional traffic from there.
27/10/15 eTN

Monday, October 26, 2015

Maiden Kuala Lumpur-Amritsar flight starts operations from Amritsar

Amritsar: The maiden Kuala Lumpur-Amritsar flight began its operations from today.
Initially scheduled thrice a week on every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday between Amritsar and the Malaysian capital city, the flight is being run by Malaysia’s Malindo Air.
The inaugural OD271 flight from Kuala Lumpur with 130 passengers on board landed at Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport at about 12:30 pm.
It is the sole carrier to connect South-East Asia to Amritsar. The departing maiden flight OD 272 took off from Amritsar at 1:15 pm. It is expected to land at Kuala Lumpur international airport at 9:35 pm same day.
Chandran Rama Murthy, CEO of Malindo Air, said, “The Sikh population in Malaysia numbers about 2.50 lakh and air connectivity with the city of Golden Temple would offer them convenient travel.  Malindo Air debuts this latest route, Kuala Lumpur to Amritsar, at a promotional fare of only Rs 14,499 one-way for economy class and Rs 36,499 one-way for business class, all inclusive of light refreshments and a meal, in-flight entertainment and free baggage allowance.”
25/10/15 Tribune

RwandAir to fly through Dubai to India, China

Dubai: African carrier RwandAir plans to fly to India and China via Dubai from the end of 2016, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operations Officer Jean-Paul Nyirubutama said on Sunday.

RwandAir, 99 per cent owned by the Rwandan government, already flies daily to Dubai from the Rwandan capital Kigali.

The airline has the traffic rights to fly onwards from Dubai and is waiting on the delivery of two Airbus A330s, long-haul aircraft, that it will receive at the end of 2016 to start the routes, Nyirubutama told reporters at an aviation conference in Dubai.

He did not say where in China and India the airline will fly to.

Earlier this year, it was reported RwandAir entered into talks with Etihad Airways for the airline to take a stake in the African carrier. Etihad passed on the opportunity, it was reported.
25/10/15 Alexander Cornwell/Gulf News

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Britain Dismisses Jet Airways Appeal Over Carbon Fine

Britain has rejected an appeal from Jet Airways over a 15,000-euro ($16,570) fine for failing to comply with Europe's Emission Trading System (ETS), according to a government notice published on Friday.   Although the fine is relatively small, the rejection of the appeal could serve as a precedent in other cases where an international carrier may seek to contest a fine levied under the carbon emissions scheme.   The EU requirement that all aircraft using its airports pay for carbon dioxide emissions caused an international outcry, particularly from Saudi Arabia, India and Russia, when it was introduced at the start of 2012. The EU changed the rules a year later to apply only to the portions of flights within the bloc, rather than their entire length, but still faced opposition.   The British ruling notice, published on Friday but dated Oct. 12, said Jet Airways was required to submit carbon allowances to cover 150 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2012.
The carrier had said the Indian government had told it not to comply with the scheme.
"Those directions from the Indian Government could not oust the application of the EU-ETS," David Hart QC said in the ruling. He was appointed by Britain's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to oversee the case.
24/10/15 Business World

Air China to end Mumbai-Shanghai service, to connect India with Beijing

Chinese flag carrier Air China has decided to discontinue Mumbai-Shanghai services from October 25 and instead connect the India metropolis with Beijing.
For the airline, this is the first direct flight to Beijing from Mumbai, where it will be deploying a wide-body aircraft, Airbus A330-300, which can carry more than 300 passengers.
Earlier, the airline was using a narrow body aircraft, an A319, to connect Shanghai with Mumbai, according to a statement from the GVK Group-run Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) today.
This is the first direct flight between Mumbai and Beijing for the Chinese carrier, a Star Alliance member which earlier used to fly to Shanghai via Chengdu. Air China could not be contacted immediately.
The first arrival from Beijing (CA-889 flight) will be at 0100 hrs and the first departing flight from Mumbai (CA-890) at 0230 hrs on October 25.
23/10/15 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

Air China to start Beijing-Mumbai flight, end Shanghai service

Mumbai: Chinese flag carrier Air China has decided to discontinue Mumbai-Shanghai services from October 25 and instead connect the India metropolis with Beijing.

For the airline, this is the first direct flight to Beijing from Mumbai, where it will be deploying a wide-body aircraft, Airbus A330-300, which can carry more than 300 passengers.

Earlier, the airline was using a narrow body aircraft, an A319, to connect Shanghai with Mumbai, according to a statement from the GVK Group-run Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) today.
This is the first direct flight between Mumbai and Beijing for the Chinese carrier, a Star Alliance member which earlier used to fly to Shanghai via Chengdu.
23/10/15 PTI/Economic Times

2 Indians arrested for smuggling people into the US

New York: Two Indians have been arrested in the US for their alleged involvement in smuggling people from India into America via Thailand.

Nileshkumar Patel, 41, and Harsad Mehta, 65 appeared in federal court on Thursday to face charges that they conspired to use commercial airline flights to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States, US Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

The two are charged by criminal complaint with one count of conspiracy to bring in and harbour aliens.

In addition, Patel is charged with six counts and Mehta is charged with four counts of smuggling foreign nationals into the United States for private financial gain.

They were arrested a day before by special agents of the US Department of Homeland Security when they arrived at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and each substantive charge of smuggling carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison.
23/10/15 PTI/The Hindu

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Emirates confirms service from Kannur

Thiruvananthapuram: In a big boost to the Kannur International Airport project, Emirates has confirmed operation of international flights from there once the airport becomes functional.

In a letter sent to civil aviation secretary Rajiv Nayan Chaubey, Dubai civil aviation authority director general Mohammed A Ahli requested permission to start services from Kannur airport from mid-2016.

The international airline proposes to add 5,000 seats in each direction per week.

"We are happy to hear that work is progressing well on the Kannur Greenfield airport and it will be ready for commercial operations by mid-2016. Emirates is keen to launch services to Kannur airport as soon as it becomes operational," Ahli said in the letter, a copy of which is with TOI.
22/10/15 Times of India

Air India to add third daily London flight

Effective 1 November 2015, the national carrier will launch a third daily flight on the route, with a new early morning departure from Delhi.

Flights will leave the Indian capital’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 0215 and arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport at 0630. The return flights will then leave London at 0845 and arrive back in Delhi at 2235.  This will complement the existing 0650 and 1445 departures from Delhi, and the 1300 and 2130 return flights from London.
22/10/15 Mark Elliott/Travel Daily Media

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Air India Launches Incentives for Inaugural SFO-Delhi Flights

Milpitas:  Air India has rolled out incentives to attract more bookings on its newly launched and much anticipated first-ever non-stop flight between San Francisco and New Delhi from Dec. 2, its officials announced during a press conference at the India Community Center here Oct. 15.
The national carrier’s officials offered promotions and more information related to the airline’s ambitious project during the event that was also attended by various Indian American community leaders.
A $999 round-trip introductory fare was announced for the SFO-New Delhi flights, which are currently bookable on Air India’s site.
“We have an introductory offer from here to Delhi at $999, so anyone who takes the flight to Delhi in the first few days will probably get that offer,” Pankaj Srivastava, director-commercial and board member of the airlines, said at the event.
The airline is running another promotion for customers choosing to fly in the airline’s premium cabins. SFO-New Delhi flight passengers who purchase round-trip first or business class cabin tickets to travel between Dec. 2, 2015 and Jan. 31, 2016 will receive a free round-trip executive class ticket on Air India’s domestic network.
21/101/5 IndiaWest

Non-stop Golden Gate to India Gate in 16 hrs 5 minutes

San Jose: A week after India’s national carrier flew the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to San Jose, Air India announced that it will launch nonstop flights between the Bay Area and New Delhi starting December 2. The thrice-weekly flights out of San Francisco International Airport will use Boeing 777 long-range aircraft.

The flight will offer a 3-cabin configuration, with 8 seats in First Class, 35 seats in Business Class and 195 seats in Economy Class, according to Air India officials in San Jose. Passengers can enjoy a wide choice of non-stop in-flight entertainment, extra legroom, flat beds in first and executive class and delicious cuisine, on this flight. The flight will operate westbound, following a polar route over Alaska.

The 7,692 miles route clocking 16 hours 5 minutes will be fully three-and-a-half hours less than the flying time any other airline (notably Emirates and other Gulf carriers) offer for their one-stop service on the route.

Air India currently operates daily non-stop flights from India to Chicago, New York and Newark.
The airline is offering a promotion to passengers who book first and business-class seats on the maiden flights. Tickets booked between Oct. 1 and Jan. 15 for travel through Jan. 31 will earn a free return executive-class ticket on Air India’s domestic network, which flies to dozens of destinations, including the tech capital of Bangalore (Bengaluru). Economy class introductory offer will be $999 (inclusive tax).
20/10/15 India Post

Construction of US Presidential Helo Starts in India

Lockheed Martin has begun construction of the first lot of six new-generation U.S. presidential transport helicopters in India, according to a report by India Strategic. Construction of the VH 92 Superhawks' cabins began recently in collaboration with India's Tata Advanced Systems Ltd., which also will exclusively develop components such as wire harnesses. The VH 92 is a variant of Sikorsky’s S-92, selected by the U.S. Defense Department in May 2014 to replace the current presidential fleet of Sikorsky VH-69s and VH-3Ds.
21/10/15 Aviation Today

Trauma of Air India crash led Surrey's first Poet Laureate to award-winning career

Surrey's inaugural Poet Laureate doesn't live in Surrey, but she has some roots in the community.

"I have so many connections to Surrey, having grown up in New Westminster, just across the river," said Renée Sarojini Saklikar, who now lives in East Vancouver with her husband, former provincial NDP leader Adrian Dix.

On Tuesday, Saklikar was introduced to Surrey city council as the city's first poet laureate, the search for which began last spring.

Saklikar's task will be to serve as an ambassador for the City of Surrey and its people while "advocating for literacy and the literary arts and helping to raise the status of poetry, language and the arts in the everyday consciousness of Surrey residents," according to the job description.
The lawyer-turned-writer found poetry through trauma. Her aunt and uncle, both doctors who lived in India, were killed along with everyone else aboard the infamous Air India flight 182.

"I didn't know them as well as I'd have liked," Saklikar explained. "They came to Canada for the first time and, sadly, it was their last time.

"They were in the States for a conference, and they came to visit," she continued. "My aunt was extremely close to my mom, and because of the distance and all kinds of family stories, we hadn't seen a lot of them. They had a young son, my cousin, and they were anxious to get back to him in India. He survived them, and he became an orphan. It was all so, so sad . . . . They weren't in North America for very long, and they stayed with us for awhile, more than a few weeks, because they wanted to be part of the family here, and then they left and we never saw them again, of course."
The act of terrorism eventually led Saklikar to write a book of poetry, called "children of air india: un/authorized exhibits and interjections," which was published in 2013 and has since won several awards and nominations.
21/10/15 Tom Zillich/Surrey Now/Vancouver Sun

Monday, October 19, 2015

Etihad will be urged to join Air India for Nagpur MRO: Devendra Fadnavis

Nagpur:  Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to request Etihad Airways to form a joint venture with Air India to run the Nagpur maintenance, repair and overhaul depot (MRO). Gulf-based Etihad, 24% owner of Jet Airways, is planning airline cargo operations from the city. The airline will be urged to service its and that of Jet aircraft in the city MRO.

Fadnavis held a meeting with Boeing vice president Dinesh Keskar on Sunday evening over the Nagpur MRO, which was built by Boeing. Keskar gave him some suggestions to expand the MRO operations.

"Keskar said it was important for Air India to find a local or international partner to run the MRO. Till a partner is found, Air India should service large number of its aircraft. This will market the MRO. Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) should be asked to offer aeronautical engineering course, which has sanction from Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," Fadnavis told TOI.
19/10/15 Ashish Roy/Times of India

Excessive hand baggage forces Indian passenger to stay back at Muscat airport

Muscat: An Air India Express passenger to Calicut, the northern city of the south Indian state Kerala, was stopped from boarding the flight as he refused to remove the excessive hand baggage luggage on Sunday evening, the country manager of the airline said.

“The permissible amount of hand baggage is 7kg. However, the passenger was having goods weighing 25kg. As per our request he removed some. But it was not okay. Again we requested him. He refused to do so. For a single passenger, we can’t delay the flight. So, we took back his boarding pass,” BP Kulkarni, country manager of Air India in Muscat, told Times of Oman.
Majid, the passenger who was stopped from boarding the flight, was on a visit visa and as it was cancelled, he has been forced to stay in the airport.
“Even though, he was not ready to understand the situation, on humanitarian grounds the airline has made provisions to provide him a new ticket to fly on Monday..” Kulkarni said.
Meanwhile, talking to Times of Oman, Majid said that he didn’t have 25kg baggage as claimed by the airline. “It was only 14kg. It was chocolates bought from duty-free shops. But they were not ready to adjust it. I was ready to remove it. But they took back my boarding pass and tore it down,” Majid claimed.
However, the airline country manager denied that his official in the airport have torn down the boarding pass.
Majid also added that his friends will approach the embassy to lodge a complaint against the airline and will not travel till they provide him a compensation.
19/10/15 Rejimon K/Times of Oman

Flight encounters bird hit, delayed

Trichy: A Tiger Airways flight from Singapore was grounded after it encountered a bird hit while landing at the Trichy International Airport. The flight that had 153 passengers got damaged in one of its engines. Engineers were involved in repairing the propellers of the aircraft.

The propellers that are located on either side of the wings were believed to have been damaged. An airline official said, "Passengers were offered accommodation in a nearby hotel. Flight maintenance is underway."

A senior official from the Tiger Airways confirmed that the TR2665 flight from Singapore has been delayed due to technical reasons. Rain was also delaying the work, he added.
19/10/15 Times of India

NOC, NAC agree to airlift aviation fuel

Kathmandu: Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC)—have reached an agreement to supply uninterrupted aviation turbine fuel to domestic airlines. As part of the deal, NAC has agreed to airlift 690 tonnes of fuel within 10 days dispatching its Boeing 757 to Kolkata, India. NAC will conduct 30 return flights to airlift fuel. Pradip Yadav, chief of NOC’s airport depot, said NAC Managing Director Sugat Ratna Kansakar and NOC Managing Director Gopal Bahadur Khadka signed an agreement to this effect. “The deal assures the domestic airlines will not face fuel shortage during Dashain and Tihar festivals,” said Yadav. The unofficial trade embargo imposed by India citing Tarai unrest has affected fuel imports through all Nepal-India border points.
19/10/15 Kathmandu Post

Sunday, October 18, 2015

US hopes that India will take part in air force exercises

Chennai:  After enhancing interoperability of its navies through regular exercises, the United States is looking at a possibility of joint air force exercises.

US Ambassador to India Richard R Verma said that United States would like India to take part in the US air force's Exercise Red Flag and that India and US coming together in the region would only enhance peace.

Talking to the media in the city, after returning from a visit to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to observe Exercise Malabar in the Bay of Bengal, on Sunday, Richard Verma said that the level of cooperation demonstrated by the navies could be replicated by the air forces too.

Reacting to a question on the concern raised by Pakistan on the India, US and Japan partnership for naval exercises, Verma said that "India-US defence relationship stands by itself. The real impact of the US and India, which share democratic values, coming together will be an increase in peace and prosperity."
18/10/15 V Ayyappan/Times of India

Saturday, October 17, 2015

AirAsia’s festive sale to start from Rs399?

AirAsia seems to be catering to the festive season demand, yet again. After announcing a recent sale till October 18, the airlines seems to be offering a surprise deal for Rs399 on October 19. Their Facebook page hints of a highly discounted sale on Monday. It reads, ‘What does Rs.399 get you? Stay tuned with us on Monday to know what you can get in Rs. 399 with us.’ AirAsia in the past has had sales with tickets upto Rs599. However, it is not sure what the airlines is upto this time.
Their current sale gives tickets for Rs 1,290. The bookings can be made between October 18, 2015 for travelling between October 7, 2015 to February 29, 2016. International travelling from Kochi/Bengaluru/Tiruchirapalli to Kaula Lumpur are as low as Rs 3,999 while return journey will cost  Rs 5414. Cost of flying within the country has also been cheaper with flight tickets from Bengaluru to Jaipur costing Rs 3,290.
17/10/15 India.com

Friday, October 16, 2015

Vistara-JAL pact allows passenger to buy single ticket for ombined itineraries

New Delhi: Tata-SIA joint venture Vistara today said it has tied up with Japan Airlines (JAL), which would allow a passenger to purchase a ticket in Japan or India for combined itineraries.

The move is a first step towards an enhanced partnership between the two carriers, which may include inter-airline 'through check-in' facilities, lounge access and code-sharing, Vistara said in a statement.

At the same time, the Vistara has also appointed Air System Inc (ASI) as its general sales agent (GSA) to market the airline in the far-eastern country, the release said.

A GSA is a sales representative for an airline in a specific country or region, responsible for selling all products including tickets and cargo services in the region where the airline does not operate.
16/10/15 PTI/Business Standard

Boeing considers assembling helicopters in India

New Delhi: Global aircraft manufacturing company Boeing said on Friday said it is looking at setting up a chopper assembly line in India.
According to a top official of the company, the assembly line will either be for the Apache combat helicopter or the Chinook heavy-lift chopper.
Recently, Boeing closed a deal to sell 22 Apache combat helicopters and 15 Chinook CH-47F heavy-lift copters to India.
Boeing Chairman James McNerney said at an event in New Delhi that the aircraft manufacturer was evaluating assembling one of these two helicopters in India.
Currently, the beams, or the spine, of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft are being made in a Nagpur facility.
The company said it was willing to take part in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make-in-India' initiative.
16/10/15 IANS/Business Today

Delhi-based firm to build aerospace facility in Dubai

London: A Delhi-based aircraft services firm has singned an agreement with the Dubai World Central to build an "ultramodern" maintenance, repair and operations facility with an investment of $100 million in the Gulf region.

"It is a matter of pride for India as a country and indeed an honour for Haveus Aerotech India to be chosen as the first Indian company to partner with DWC to build and operate the first and most advanced MRO facility in the whole of the Gulf region," said Anshul Bhargava, director of Haveus, who signed the offer letter at a conference in London this week.

"This ultra-modern, technologically advanced MRO facility involves an investment of over $100 million," he said.
The facility spread over 9,000 square metres will cater to the demand of aircraft engine overhaul of CFM56-7B and 5B fitted on Boeing-737 and Airbus-A320 family aircraft in the Gulf, Far East, India and adjoining regions.
15/10/15 PTI/Times of India

Air India to Operate Delhi-San Francisco Non-Stop Flights

Air India will launch three-times-weekly Delhi-San Francisco non-stop service on December 2.
The airline will operate the service with Boeing 777-200LR widebodies, the only aircraft it has capable of operating the ultra-long-range non-stop flights.
According to Air India, the 16 hours 5 minutes flying time for its non-stop San Francisco-Delhi flights will be fully three-and-a-half hours less than the flying time any other airline (notably Emirates and other Gulf carriers) offers for its one-stop service on the route.
“The continuing expansion of technology and other business partnerships between the U.S. and India provides us with a very solid basis for starting service from San Francisco,” says Vandana Sharma, Air India’s regional manager,  Americas.
“We are also looking forward to serving the sizeable leisure travel market and Indo-American communities on the west coast,” adds Sharma..
15/10/15 Airlines And Destinations

S. Korea, India agree to increase passenger flights, routes

South Korea and India agreed to increase the number of weekly flights and destinations that can be served by their respective flag carriers, the government said Friday.

The agreement, reached after two days of negotiations in New Delhi on Thursday, calls for raising the number of flights allocated to national carriers from the current six per week to 19, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) also permits expanded code sharing and the opening of more routes that can greatly enhance the convenience of travelers.

At present, South Korea's top air carrier Korean Air Lines Co. operates three weekly flights to Mumbai from Incheon International Airport, while Asiana Airlines Inc. flies to New Delhi three times a week. Air India has four weekly flights that link New Delhi to Incheon via Hong Kong.
16/10/15 Yonhap News Agency

Thursday, October 15, 2015

International airlines offer discounts up to 50% to woo fliers

MUMBAI: International airlines are giving away discounts of up to 50% to fill seats in the upcoming holiday season, as most Indian tourists now prefer frequent short trips throughout the year to one big trip in the holiday season.

Singapore Airlines' current economy class fares from Mumbai to Singapore are just over Rs 21,000, close to 30% cheaper than last year. Even close to the Diwali date of November 11, the fare is at the same levels.

Malaysia Airlines is offering business class fares starting Rs 45,000 to destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Bangkok, Jakarta and Bali, from Mumbai, which is again 30% cheaper than its usual fares on these sectors. The airline will sell these discounted tickets till October 29 for travel up to March 31 next year. Economy class fares start from Rs 16,990.

15/10/15 Anirban Chowdhury/The Economic Times

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

British Airways’ special fares to mark decade of Bengaluru-London flights

British Airways on Tuesday offered special celebratory fares starting from Rs.48,115 to various destinations in Britain to commemorate a decade of connecting Bengaluru and London.

“This October, we create another milestone in our history with India as we, at British Airways, complete 10 years of flying to Bengaluru,” said its regional commercial manager, South Asia, Moran Birger.

BA launched the Benglauru-London sector on October 30, 2005 deploying a Boeing 777 aircraft with a five-flight frequency a week and later expanding it to daily flights.

“Today, after 10 years of flying to the city, we operate daily flights between London and Bengaluru offering three class configuration – Club World (business), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy) to our customers,” he added.
13/10/15 Economy Lead

Jazeera Airways considering long-haul flights

Dubai: Jazeera Airways may launch long-haul flights if it’s not able to buy a controlling stake in Kuwait Airways, chief financial officer Donald Hubbard told Gulf News on Tuesday.

Jazeera Airways, the Kuwait-based low-cost hybrid airline, expressed interest in May this year in acquiring a 35 per cent controlling stake in Kuwait Airways, the country’s national airline. But the Kuwait government has since back-tracked on its plan to sell off all but 20 per cent of the airline. Instead, it has put forward a proposal to retain 75 per cent.

Jazeera Airways hoped to synergies its processes with Kuwait Airways, including operations at Kuwait International and using the Kuwaiti national carrier’s long-haul network to feed its own regional flights.

According to Hubbard, the low-cost hybrid carrier is looking at starting flights to London, Paris and possibly Singapore, if it can no longer purchase a controlling state in Kuwait Airways.

“If they’re not going to be privatised, then we might jump in,” Hubbard said.

Jazeera Airways, which made a 3.2 million Kuwaiti dinar (Dh38.8 million) profit in the first half of the year. It currently operates a fleet of seven Airbus A320s — narrow-body aircraft used for short-haul regional flights.

Direct flights to London, Paris and Singapore would require long-haul aircraft, which Hubbard said could also be used on flights to south Indian cities, such as Kochi, which are currently unfeasible.
13/10/15 Alexander Cornwell/Gulf News

British Airways offers wings to Indian startups

Bengaluru: British Airways, which is part of the €26-billion International Consolidated Airlines Group, has expressed plans to tap the growing segment of startups in India, predominantly in the IT hub of Bengaluru, for whom it plans to extend several of its packages and special programmes.

“There is huge growth in Bengaluru, owing to the amount of investments happening in Karnataka, especially in the IT/ITeS realm. We see growth in consumer and corporate travel, and subsequent increase in traffic may be expected,” British Airways Regional Commercial Manager (South Asia) Moran Birger said.
14/10/15 Hrithik Kiran Bagade/Deccan Herald

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Air India sued for $98M in US Federal Court for breach of Hajj contract

Dynamic International Airways launched a $97.7 million breach of contract lawsuit against Air India in New York Federal Court.

Air India sub-contracted Dynamic International Airways for the year 2013 and 2014 for carriage of holy pilgrims from India to Saudi Arabia round-trip.

Dynamic carried 47,976 passengers for Hajj 2014 and carried around 6000 passengers for Hajj 2013. Air India owes more than $8.8 million for Hajj 2013 and 2014. The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York states that Air India has been using accounts reconciliation in bad faith in order to delay making any payments.
Due to long outstanding amounts, Air India decided that it does not want to continue its future business relationship with Dynamic. Because of Air India's (anticipatory) breach of contract, Dynamic has lost expectation damages of not less than $84 million.
12/10/15 Aviation Tribune

How a resurgent Indian airline could mean years of work for Wichita

Budget airline SpiceJet in India is profitable again and is talking fleet expansion plans that could mean years of work for Wichita’s commercial aviation cluster.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, SpiceJet could order more than 200 new aircraft in the next five months.
The airline is reportedly talking with multiple manufacturers about potential orders, including jet talks with the Boeing Co. and Airbus and turboprop orders with others including Embraer and Bombardier.
The airline’s managing director, Ajay Singh, told the Wall Street Journal that the carrier will order between 100 and 150 Boeing 737s or Airbus A320 aircraft to boost its narrowbody jet fleet.
Orders for the 737, especially, would mean work for Wichita.
The city’s largest employer, Spirit AeroSystems Inc.  builds about 70 percent of each 737 for Boeing.
The company also builds wing components on the Airbus A320 at its plant in Prestwick, Scotland.
12/10/15 Wichita Business Journal

Global Vectra signs pact with Airbus for supply of parts

New Delhi: Domestic private chopper operator Global Vectra has inked a pact with European aviation major Airbus, which entails replacement of defective components of its H130 helicopters within 24 hours with no upfront payment.

Global Vectra Helicopters Limited (GVHL) is the first customer globally to select this newly re-designed cost-effective 'parts-by-the-hour' (PBH) contract for light helicopters, Airbus Helicopters in release said today.

GVHL's H130 will be covered by the HCare Smart PBH service, which has been developed with careful consideration of the support required by operators of light helicopters, it said.
12/10/15 PTI/Economic Times

No MH370 wreckage found: Philippines

Philippine authorities insist a Malaysia Airlines jet that went missing last year did not crash on to a remote island after a man's claims that wreckage had been found there made headlines.

THE precise fate of Flight 370, which went missing in March last year with 239 people on board, remains a mystery, and the latest reports appear to be yet another false lead based on no evidence.

While a wing part from the jet was found washed up on a beach in the Indian Ocean in July, the rest of the plane has yet to be found.
Malaysian media reported at the weekend that a Filipino man told Malaysian police that his relatives had found wreckage of a plane, with skeletons inside, in the jungles of the Philippines' remote Tawi-Tawi island chain.
Despite the report appearing to have little credibility, some media in Britain, the US, Singapore and elsewhere picked it up, saying wreckage of a plane had been found on the island and it could be from MH370.
Philippine authorities said on Tuesday that no plane wreckage had been found, and questioned the credibility of the apparent police witness.
"I sent people to the site where it (the plane wreck) was supposedly seen and the results were negative," the deputy police director of Tawi-Tawi, Superintendent Glenn Roy Gabor, told AFP by phone on Tuesday.
"There was someone who was spreading that story, but it has no truth to it and the person spreading it has disappeared."
Gabor said that if a big plane had crashed on Sagbay island, as the man reportedly claimed to Malaysian police, local residents would definitely have noticed.
"We interviewed the local people and they didn't see anything. That is a small area. It is impossible they wouldn't see something like that," he said.
Tawi-Tawi governor Nurbert Sahali also released a statement saying no wreckage had been found.
13/10/15 AAP/Herald Sun

Monday, October 12, 2015

Cathay Pacific considering new destinations in India

Seattle: With India projected to become the third largest aviation market in the world by the end of the decade, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways have started examining traffic potential on routes beyond the six metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad to add new points of calls and launch new services once fresh bilateral rights are made available.
James Tong, director, corporate affairs, Cathay Pacific Airways, “India is among our top 10 markets. It is a big expanding market and traffic from India to Hong Kong is growing in double-digits. I expect the country to move up in our pecking order in the coming years.” Over half the traffic that Cathay Pacific flies out of India currently travels onwards to destinations in North America and Australia.
Cathay Pacific operates 48 weekly departures from six metros in India to Hong Kong. The airline has exhausted the allotted bilateral air traffic rights. When more seat entitlements are made available, the airline would launch flights to more destinations in the country.
12/10/15 Sharmistha Mukherjee/Indian Express

Sharjah flight grounded after hit by bird while landing

Coimbatore: The city-bound Air Arabia flight from Sharjah with 100 passengers on board was grounded at the Coimbatore International Airport today after it was hit by a bird while landing, police said. The pilot managed to land the plane safely at around 4 am, they said.
12/10/15 PTI

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Foreign Tourist Arrivals register a growth of 6.1% in September

Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) on the basis of Nationality-wise, Port-wise data received from Bureau of Immigration (BOI) and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism on the basis of data available from Reserve Bank of India. Following are the important highlights regarding FTAs and FEEs from tourism during the month of September 2015:
Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs)

FTAs during the Month of September 2015 were 5.40 lakh as compared to FTAs of 5.09 lakh during the month of September 2014 and 4.54 lakh in September 2013. There has been a growth of 6.1% in September 2015 over September 2014.

FTAs during the period January- September 2015 were 56.08 lakh showing a growth of 4.6% over January- September 2014

The Percentage share of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India during September 2015 among the top 15 source countries was highest from Bangladesh (18.81%), followed by USA (10.99%), UK (7.96%), Malaysia (4.72%), Sri Lanka (4.69%), Australia (3.39%), China (3.37%), Japan (3.20%), Germany (2.89), Canada (2.51%), Nepal (2.44%), France (2.39%),Singapore (2.13%), Pakistan (1.61%) and Afghanistan (1.27%). These top 15 countries account for 72.37% of total FTAs during September 2015.
09/10/15 Capital Market/Business Standard

Thiruvananthapuram bound flight makes emergency landing

Coimbatore: The Thiruvananthapuram-bound Air Arabia flight today made an emergency landing in the city airport following bad weather conditions there.

The flight carrying 168 passengers from Sharjah was scheduled to reach at Thiruvananthapuram at 7 AM.
09/10/15 PTI/Business Standard

Flight delay leaves passengers grumpy

Auckland: Disgruntled passengers booked on a Malaysia Airlines flight from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur experienced more than 24 hours of delays due to "technical issues" with their jet.
Ramesh Koney, whose family were affected, claimed security staff stood guard at the Malaysia Airlines counter at the airport threatening people with a trespass order if they approached to ask for information.
Mr Koney's wife, Sivaranjama Koney, mother-in-law and two children, aged 3 months and 5 years old, were booked on MH130, which was scheduled to leave at 2.15pm on Thursday.
He said that when their flight was first delayed, they were told to go home and return in the evening.
They did, but the flight was delayed several more times that night, and in the early hours of yesterday morning it was cancelled and the passengers were sent home once again.
Malaysia Airlines provided refreshments and taxi vouchers for the return journey.
Yesterday evening, Mr Koney was once again at the airport hoping to get his family, who are travelling to India, on flight.
MH132, which was due to leave for Kuala Lumpur at 1.15am today.
10/10/15 Corazon Miller/NZ Herald

Friday, October 09, 2015

Ethiopian Airlines offers discounted fares from Mumbai

In line with the commencement of double daily flights between Addis Ababa and Mumbai effective October 26, 2015, Ethiopian Airlines announced the introduction of special offers for travel from Mumbai to Addis Ababa and back on specified flights. As per the release, the offers include 50% companion fare, additional baggage allowance on business and economy classes, promotional fares for business and economy classes and double miles on tickets from Mumbai to Addis Ababa for ET Sheba Miles frequent flier program members.

The 50 % companion fare is applicable for travel between Mumbai (BOM) and Mombasa (MBA), Nairobi (NBO), Hargeisa (HGA), Djibouti (JIB), Juba (JUB), Khartoum (KRT), Entebbe (EBB) and Tel Aviv (TLV)  for sales until October 30, 2015 and travel commencing  from October 26, 2015 until December 31, 2015. Offer is valid for travel only on flights ET641 Mumbai- Addis Ababa (BOM-ADD) and ET640 Addis Ababa- Mumbai (ADD-BOM) and direct connecting flights.
08/10/15 TravelBizMonitor.com

Barbados and India sign air services agreement

Bridgetown, Barbados: Barbados and India have signed an air services agreement, which will allow for easier travel between the two countries.

According to minister of tourism and international transport, Richard Sealy, the agreement, which allows for full fifth freedom rights, would redound to the benefit of both Barbados and India.

He signed the document along with high commissioner of India, Murugesan Subashini, on Tuesday.

The minister explained that fifth freedom rights were essential for far flung destinations, as it would allow airlines designated by Barbados to transport passengers to Mumbai and Delhi in India and some points beyond.

Conversely, an airline designated by India can transport passengers to Bridgetown and points beyond. It also allows for designated airlines from either country to transport passengers from intermediate points. Sealy added that this should broaden Barbados’ tourist base and attract persons from non-traditional source markets into the country.
09/10/15 Kim Ramsay-Moore/Caribbean News Now!

Wednesday, October 07, 2015

70% people flying in and out of India opt for international airlines: Tata SIA

New Delhi: About 70 per cent of international traffic to and from India opt international carriers and not Indian carriers, as the former have a clear cut lead over their Indian peers in terms of flights in and out of the country, says a report — Maximising the contribution of aviation to the Indian Economy - released by Tata SIA Airlines on Tuesday.
"The fact that 70 per cent people flying in and out of India opt for international airlines is something that is a concern for us. This is primarily because the Indian carriers have not been able to provide flight options in the international carrier," said Mukund Rajan, Director at Vistara, a Tata-SIA joint venture company.
Rajan added that the abolition of five years and 20 aircraft abolition norm for flying international will allow airlines to add flights wherever they want to and provide options to fliers.
07/10/15 Economic Times

Indians could fly to Japan on low-cost fares from next year

Mumbai:  Air Asia which tried unsuccessfully to enter Japan four years ago is back in the land of the rising sun. The low-cost airline plans to begin domestic and international operations in Japan next year.

AirAsia Japan Co., Ltd's CEO Yoshinori Odagiri announced on Tuesday that the airline has been granted the Air Operator's Certificate by the Civil Aeronautics Act by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, under the air transport business, Japanese Aviation Law Article 100. AirAsia Japan is scheduled to commence operations from their base at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi prefecture to Shin-Chitose Airport in Sapporo, Sendai Airport in Sendai and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei in Spring 2016, said a release issued by the airline.
06/10/15 Times of India

Tuesday, October 06, 2015

Lufthansa India unveils ‘Global Diwali’ campaign

In a first of its kind initiative, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines India has unveiled an all-digital Diwali campaign on a global scale on October 1. The #Diwalisurprise campaign has been rolled-out simultaneously across 80 countries and teh airline expects a participation of 1 million Indians worldwide.
The #Diwalisurprise campaign gives participants a chance to register their ‘wish’ and get a chance to win tickets for Lufthansa flights.
Wolfgang Will, Director, South Asia, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, said, “The #Diwalisurprise campaign is yet another affirmation of the fact that India is very close to our heart and that as a brand we are ‘More Indian than you think’. Lufthansa has constantly strived to establish a deeper connection with its Indian customers and this time we have gone a step beyond India and reached out to Indians across the globe.”
06/10/15 Financial Express

Singapore flight cancelled, re-scheduled

Chennai: A Singapore-bound flight was cancelled today as the connecting flight did not arrive from Singapore to Chennai as scheduled.
Chennai airport sources said, "The Singapore flight, which was scheduled to leave from Chennai airport  at 11 am today was cancelled as the connecting flight did not arrive. Prior information was given to the passengers and they have been put up in hotels near the airport."
06/10/15 PTI/News Today

Indian woman fined Rs 17000 for not declaring cow urine at New Zealand airport

An Indian-origin woman has been slapped with a hefty fine of 400 dollars by New Zealand customs for not declaring two bottles of cow urine. Border officials fined her after she failed to declare two bottles containing cow urine as part of her luggage after her flight landed here. The woman was slapped with a fine of 400 New Zealand dollars (USD 260).
"When the officers started to inspect the contents of the luggage, they found two bottles of cow urine for medicinal purposes," said Antony Owen, Ministry for Primary Industries central region team manager for border clearance.
05/10/15 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

Monday, October 05, 2015

Woman 'hears' AI pilot talk of 'last flight', refuses to fly

New Delhi: On Sunday, an Air India business class passenger onboard the aircraft scheduled to take off from Singapore to Delhi refused to continue her journey after she felt the commander said "this is my last flight" to a ground worker. The passenger, reportedly European, immediately told the crew she wanted to get off the aircraft and then alerted local security agencies, said sources.

Security agencies at Changi Airport are learnt to have asked the pilot to get off the plane. "They spoke to the pilot for about an hour. Only after it became clear to them that there had been a serious misunderstanding, was the commander cleared to operate the flight (AI 381) to Delhi," said a source.
05/10/15 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

2 more chartered flights arrive with 264 tourists from Ukraine, Moscow

Vasco: Two chartered flights ‘FlyDubai’ and ‘Transaero’ arrived in the state from Ukraine and Moscow respectively, bringing in around 264 passengers on Sunday morning.
As per available information, ‘FlyDubai’ is the second chartered flight of the season and brought in 43 passengers from Ukraine, while the ‘Transaero’ the third chartered flight brought 221 passengers from Moscow. Both the flights landed at the airport at around 5 a.m and 8.30 a.m respectively.
Interestingly, neither the officials from tourism department nor from Airport Authority of India were present to receive the passengers at the airport. It may be recalled that every year the tourism department makes an arrangement to dispatch a team of officials at Dabolim airport to welcome the foreign tourists upon their arrival through chartered flights, however, this year, no officials were present to receive the passengers even of the first chartered light of the season.
05/10/15  Navhind Times

Silk Air all set to launch flights to Singapore from Odisha capital

Bhubaneswar: There is good news for air travelers from Odisha intending to visit Singapore: Silk Air has decided to operate flights from Bhubaneswar to Singapore beginning December this year.

A delegation from Silk Air visited Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) to check out the facilities at the airport three days back.

The chief of Silk Air will take a call on launching international air service from BPIA after he visits the airport for an assessment in the third week of this month. .

While the airline has already obtained permission from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it would soon get the clearance from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). After this, Silk Air will submit a flight schedule to the BPIA authorities. After completing all formalities within the next two months, the airlines will operate flights from BPIA, said Silk Air authorities.

Silk Air plans to operate a 180-seater Airbus A 320 aircraft for the Bhubaneswar-Singapore flight, sources said. There will be 148 seats in the economy class and 42 in the business class while fares can be as low as Rs 10, 000-12, 000 if tickets are booked well in advance.
04/10/15 Odisha Sun Times

Sunday, October 04, 2015

Airlines attract Indian flyers with premium economy offerings

Mumbai: International airlines are luring Indian customers with premium economy seating, which offer more leg room, better meal options and bonus miles for frequent flyers.

Singapore Airlines unveiled its premium economy product in Mumbai today and will roll out the service on Singapore-Delhi route from October 25 and on Singapore-Mumbai route from January 2.

From October 25, Lufthansa and Air China will  also offer premium economy service on the Mumbai-Munich and Mumbai-Beijing routes respectively. Singapore Airlines will introduce premium economy seating on Mumbai route from January 2. Last month, Lufthansa introduced premium economy service on Mumbai-Frankfurt route.

Singapore Airlines will have the premium economy seats on its existing 38 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300 ER planes and new 20 A350 planes which will enter into service from 2016.
03/10/15 Business Standard

Saturday, October 03, 2015

New Delhi rushed to meet deadline for Chinook, Apache chopper deals with US

New Delhi: India had to scramble to ink two contracts for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters with the US government and US aviation giant Boeing Company. The price validity for the two deals, cumulatively worth $3.1 billion, was expiring on September 30.
And to meet this deadline, the cabinet committee on defence headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the deal before he departed on his week long visit to the US.
The MoD finalised an order with Boeing for 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. The contracts provide for production, training and support that will greatly enhance India’s capabilities across a range of military and humanitarian missions.
India is the 14th nation to select the Apache and the 19th to select the Chinook.
“This is a milestone in Boeing’s expanding commitment to India,” said Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India. “This acquisition enhances the Indian Air Force’s capabilities and offers us an opportunity to further accelerate ‘Make in India’. Large sections of the Chinook fuselage are already manufactured in India and discussions are ongoing with our Indian partners to make Apache parts.”
03/10/15 Financial Express

Singapore Airlines to launch premium economy class in India

Mumbai:  Singapore Airlines will introduce new premium economy cabin class on its Delhi and Mumbai routes from 25 October 2015 and 02 January 2016 respectively.

The premium economy class will be available on the Airbus A380 services from both these cities to Singapore and onwards to Sydney, Hong Kong, Auckland, Frankfurt and Los Angeles, said the airline in a press release issued on Saturday. ''The premium economy class will be progressively introduced across the Singapore Airlines global network on 19 Airbus A380s, 19 Boeing 777-300ERs and the first 20 Airbus A350s,'' it added.
03/10/15 Manju V/Times of India

100 charter flights from Moscow could be cancelled as Transaero declares bankruptcy

Panjim: The decision by Transaero, the largest private airline in Russia to declare bankruptcy on October 1 could have a devastating effect on the forthcoming tourist season in Goa this year. With 100 flights expected from Moscow and many more from regional airports in Russia, the Russian tourist could be as rare as the hummingbird this season.  
Ekaterina Belyakova, Head of Russian Information Center in Goa said the decision was taken by Aeroflot which had purchased the airline for 1 Rouble on September 1. Transaero during the course of its operations over the years had accumulated a debt to the tune of $4 billion which was too much for Aeroflot to inherit. This decision has to be seen in the light of last year which saw 537 flights coming in from Russia carrying 1,04890 Russian passengers. The total number of charter flights last year being 813.  
03/10/15 Ajit John/Herald

San Francisco welcomes direct flight from New Delhi

Washington: Air India's decision to start the first-ever nonstop flight between San Francisco and New Delhi has united two great cultural and economic centers of the world, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has said.

"I am pleased to welcome Air India to San Francisco - the Innovation Capital of the World - after the productive visit by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the San Francisco Bay Area," said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.
"By creating the first-ever nonstop service between San Francisco and Delhi, Air India has united two great cultural and economic centers of the world. As the only nonstop flight between India and the West Coast of the United States, I fully expect this new service to be a success," said Lee.
Air India will begin the first-ever nonstop flights between San Francisco and Delhi on December 2, 2015.
Air India plans to launch service with three flights per week, on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, using Boeing 777 long-range aircraft.
02/10/15 PTI/Economic Times

First charter flight arrives with 33 Ukrainian guests

Vasco: The first chartered flight of this season ‘FlyDubai,’ a low-cost airline operated by Dubai Aviation Corporation, landed at the Dabolim International Airport early Friday morning at 5 am from Ukraine via Dubai, bringing in 33 Ukrainian passengers.
However, even though the state government has been trying to increase Goa’s popularity as a top tourist destination by launching various drives through advertisements, none of the officials of either the state’s tourism department or the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were present at the airport to welcome the guests.
The Ukrainian passengers were welcomed by the Minar travel agents by garlanding all of them. The tourists seemed upset over the lack of interest shown by the concerned authorities. Some of the airlines’ staff working at the airport were also shocked to find nobody representing the tourism department or the AAI to receive the guests, who arrived in the state by the first chartered flight.
03/10/15 Navhind Times

Friday, October 02, 2015

Air India launches offer for its maiden Delhi-San Francisco flight

New Delhi: Air India will give an inaugural offer exclusively for its First and Business Class passengers who would be travelling on the soon to be launched direct flight to San Francisco from Delhi.

Under the scheme, any First or Business Class passenger travelling to-and-fro on Air India’s direct flight from Delhi to San Francisco shall be entitled to one Return Ticket (2 Flight Coupons) in Executive class on Air India’s domestic network, the airline said in a statement.
01/10/15 The Hindu

Thursday, October 01, 2015

Air Canada unveils Toronto-Delhi non-stop flight

Toronto: Air Canada on Thursday officially announced four weekly non-stop flights between Toronto and New Delhi starting November 1, terming it "the best deal for passengers".

With this new flight, Air Canada becomes the first airline to operate 787-9 Dreamliner from North America.

Making this announcement here amid Bollywood songs and dances, Air Canada vice president Duncan Bureau said that despite the huge volume of traffic between India and Canada, Air Canada stopped its flights to New Delhi via Europe in 2007 because they were not profitable.

"But the very efficient new Boeing Dreamliner has changed the economics of flying to India. This non-stop flight will be a big success. There has been a huge response to this flight," he said at the launch event here.

Speaking to IANS, Air Canada's Indian-origin vice president (commercial) Vijay Bathija said: "This first non-stop flight between Canada and India will be the best deal for passengers.
01/10/15 IANS/Business Standard