Nok Air launches Guwahati-Bangkok flight service

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday flagged off Nok Air's Guwahati-Bangkok flight here and hoped that the introduction of the service will help in strengthening bilateral relations between Assam and Thailand.

The introduction of the flight is not just an extension of airline route but more importantly a futuristic gesture, which will go a long way in strengthening bilateral relations between Assam and Thailand, Sonowal said at the flagging off ceremony at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here.

The Nok Air flight will reach Don Mueang Airport near Bangkok in three hours time and offers a convenient connection twice a week for both business and leisure travellers.

"Connectivity has always been a major bottleneck in optimum realization of the growth prospects of the region and with this in view, the Centre has taken up steps to connect six South East Asian destinations from Guwahati under UDAN scheme", Sonowal said.

The first Guwahati-Dhaka flight by Spicejet under International Air Connectivity Scheme was flagged off on July one this year and this flight marked the roll-out of UDAN- International, pioneered by Assam Government with Viability Gap Funding of Rs 100 crore.
22/09/19 PTI/India TV

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Emirates’ Delhi-Dubai flight diverted to Sharjah due to drone activity at destination airport

New Delhi: Emirates’ Delhi-Dubai flight on Sunday was among the two flights that could not land at their destination city as the airport there had to be shut down for some time due to suspected drone activity. The flight, EK-511, had to be diverted to nearby Sharjah.
In a statement, Emirates said: “Dubai International airport (DXB) was closed from 12.36 pm to 12.51 pm local time due to suspected drone activity in the surrounding airspace. As a result flight, EK 433 from Brisbane and Singapore to DXB was diverted to Dubai World Central (DWC) and flight EK 511 from Delhi to DXB was diverted to Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).”
“The diverted flights will return to DXB as the airspace has now reopened. Emirates will assist affected passengers with alternative re-booking options and hotel accommodation where required. Emirates regrets any inconvenience caused but the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised,” she added.
22/09/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Australian man held with drugs worth Rs 21cr at IGI airport

New Delhi: An Australian national was on Sunday apprehended by the CISF at Delhi airport for allegedly carrying narcotics worth Rs 21 crore, a senior official said.
He said Mohammed Umar Turay was intercepted around 11.30 am when he arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to take an Air India flight to Melbourne.

The traveller looked suspicious and was taken for detailed frisking during which 7 kgs of amphetamine category of drugs was recovered from the false bottom of his bag, he said.

Amphetamine is a powerful stimulant and is majorly abused by youngsters.
22/09/19 PTI/Outlook

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Doha bound flight returns to Chennai due to glitches

Chennai: A Doha bound flight of a private carrier carrying 240 passengers and a crew of five, on Saturday returned to the airport here, about 40 minutes after its departure due to technical issues, officials said. As soon as the glitches were noticed when it was airborne, the pilot got the nod of authorities to return and safely landed the aircraft at the airport here, they said.

The passengers of the early morning aircraft were provided accommodation at a nearby hotel and the flight resumed its journey hours later. Following a similar episode, involving the same carrier days ago, the civil aviation authorities have asked the airline to look into such matters and submit a report.
21/09/19 Free Press Journal/Yahoo!

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Fly Delhi-Istanbul flights with upto 22% seats vacant on strong headwind days, DGCA tells IndiGo

New Delhi: Fly your planes with 15% to 22% seats unoccupied while operating on the Delhi-Istanbul route on strong headwind days, India’s aviation regulator directed IndiGo on Friday. The budget airline’s 186-seater Airbus A320 Neos should have upto 157 passengers on board and the 222-seater A321s should have no more than 173 passengers on board on such days.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief Arun Kumar’s directive came after passengers on many of IndiGo’s Delhi-Istanbul flights in recent days were discovering that while they reached their destination, their baggage hadn’t taken off from Delhi. The reason: Due to strong headwinds IndiGo’s Delhi-Istanbul flying time has been over seven hours in past few weeks which is pretty close to the maximum operating range of the single aisle Airbus A320/321s used by it. So to carry more fuel, baggage was being left behind on IndiGo's Delhi-Istanbul flights of last Sunday and a few more days of all or most of the passengers.

Now to ensure that such things don’t recur and also to ensure the airline can carry more fuel on 15-22% emptier planes, Kumar issued this directive. Strong headwinds for west-bound flights will continue for some months. For this reason, Air India’s Delhi-San Francisco flight frequently takes the Pacific route to US and then flies back to Delhi over the Atlantic to get tailwinds all the way and save fuel.

About Istanbul-bound passengers whose bags were left in Delhi in recent days, an IndiGo official said: “We have sent an individual letter of regret to the affected passengers along with a coupon of Rs 5,000 that can be used in their future travels.” IndiGo operates two daily flights between Delhi and Istanbul on its single aisle fleet. Turkish Airlines is the only other carrier to fly on Delhi-Istanbul route but they use wide body planes and therefore do not face issues like their code share partner IndiGo.
20/09/19 Saurbah Sinha/Times of India

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DGCA cracks down on IndiGo for overbooking, cuts passenger limit on Delhi to Istanbul flights

New Delhi: Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday asked IndiGo airline to reduce the number of passengers on New Delhi to Istanbul flights. The decision has been taken keeping strong headwinds in consideration.

In A321 aircraft of IndiGo airlines, the passenger capacity will be reduced to 173 from the previous capacity of 222. The A320 aircraft, which earlier used to have a capacity of 186 passengers, will be permitted to carry a maximum of 157 passengers.
Although the decision has been taken due to strong headwinds, the DGCA has stressed that the airline is solely responsible for those passengers whom it has overbooked and has therefore dropped the baggage of.

Earlier on Monday, IndiGo airline offloaded the checked-in baggage of passengers flying to Turkish capital Istanbul from New Delhi and when they landed in Istanbul, they were handed a letter which informed them about the 'operation issue'.
In its official statement, IndiGo statement, "Unfortunately due to the exceptionally heavy headwind, we had certain payload restrictions on a few fights to Istanbul, which led to offloading of a limited number of checked-in baggage."
20/09/19 TimesNowNews.com

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Yangon International Airport welcomes IndiGo's inaugural flight from Kolkata

Yangon: Yangon Aerodrome Company Limited ("YACL"), operator of Yangon International Airport ("YIA"), today welcomes the inaugural flight of Indian air carrier IndiGo from Kolkata to YIA, marking the first scheduled daily flight from any Indian city to the gateway to Myanmar.

IndiGo will operate an Airbus A320, which can accommodate 180 passengers, for the flight which will take between two to two-and-a-half hours each way. The service will enhance air links between Myanmar and India - two countries which enjoy rich historical and cultural ties.

The additional flight follows recent promotions by YACL, Myanmar Tourism Marketing and IndiGo to promote air links targeted at commercial passengers as well as Buddhist pilgrims from Myanmar visiting sacred sites in India such as Bodha Gaya and Indian pilgrims to temples and monasteries including the Shwedagon Pagoda and Bagan, recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, among others.

IndiGo's inaugural flight at Yangon International Airport Terminal 1

The Myanmar government also recently extended its visas-on-arrival grant to Indian passport holders till the end of September 2020.

With the addition of this new airline, YIA now connects to 33 international destinations operated by 34 international airlines.

IndiGo Flight Schedule:
Flight # - Departure - Arrival
6E1398 - Kolkata (11:30) - Yangon (14:30)
6E1399 - Yangon (15:30) - Kolkata (16:30)

Celebrating the inaugural flight at Yangon International Airport

The celebration event was held at Terminal 1 and graced by H.E U Kyaw Myo, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Transport and Communications, India's Ambassador to Myanmar H.E Mr. Saurabh Kumar, and U Khin Aung Tun, Vice Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Federation. Officials from the Department of Civil Aviation, Myanmar Tourism Federation, IndiGo team, YIA officials and airline partners were also present at the event.

During his opening remarks, H.E U Kyaw Myo said: "IndiGo is the largest passenger airline in India by fleet size and I am pleased that they will be operating here in Yangon International Airport starting today. We are very confident that IndiGo air will contribute to the development of tourism as well as trade and commerce between India and Myanmar."

H.E Mr. Saurabh Kumar said "It is very satisfying to see IndiGo establishing this connection between Yangon and Kolkata. IndiGo has over 120 flights out of Kolkata to different destinations in India. In essence, passengers from Yangon now have access to most of the major destinations in India."

U Khin Aung Tun, Vice Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Federation said "We, Myanmar Tourism Federation together with our sister association Myanmar Tourism Marketing, will fully support and coordinate with tourism stakeholders and the Government to further develop our tourism industry. We are also planning to participate in more roadshows in India in the near future to develop tourism between the two countries."

Mr. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer of IndiGo, said "Our service is based on three foundations: courteous and hassle-free service, good on-time performance and lastly, affordable fare for the passengers. And for the convenience of every passenger flying with IndiGo, we started our operation with daily flight schedule straightaway. Today you will see IndiGo's first scheduled flight in Yangon, but don't think it will be our only flight; we will be adding as much as we can."

"YACL is proud in having contributing for the enhancing of another important air link between India and Myanmar. This is the result of a road show done last June in Kolkata - India, in a fruitful partnership with MTM, just three months ago. IndiGo has now commenced scheduled daily flights, and we hope that number of frequencies will increase in soon, as well as more Indian carriers to come," said Mr. Jose Angeja, COO of YACL.
22/09/10 ACN Newswire/Press Release

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India to consider taking Pakistan to ICAO for denying Modi permission to use its airspace

New Delhi: India will certainly consider taking Pakistan to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) if it has violated any regulation of the global body by denying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plane to use Pakistani airspace for his visit to the United States, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said on Thursday.

”It’s an unfortunate situation where a country denies overflight to the head of state/head of government of another country. But it’s true when there’s a normal country. Hope Pakistan will realise the folly of its actions,” he told reporters here.

Gokhale said: ”As far as going to any international organisation is concerned, we’ll take a look at that. So far there’s no intention to do so.”
Pakistan on Wednesday turned down India’s request for allowing the PM’s special aircraft to use the country’s airspace, citing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and India’s attitude as the reasons.
19/09/19 Statesman

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How an Indian tech firm could help Gulf airlines soar again

When V K Mathews was general manager of IT at Dubai-based Emirates airline in the 1990s, he saw a clear gap in the world of aviation technology. The carriers’ demands were not being met by global technology players, let alone local IT companies, so when Mathews led the team to set up Emirates’ Mercator, a strategic business unit (SBU) aimed at providing technology services to other airlines, his ambition to fill the gap he spotted years ago grew even stronger.
The result? The birth of IBS Software. Mathews established the product development company in 1997 to cater to worldwide aviation and transportation industries, and, since then, he has not looked back.
“Airlines all over the world were still using their legacy technologies when I had left Emirates to set up IBS. Today, we can say with much satisfaction and confidence that over these years our company has changed the way airlines are carrying out their fleet and crew management, passenger reservations, accounting, cargo management, etc to get optimal operational and cost efficiency,” says the executive chairman, who was the youngest GM from Asia at Emirates when he decided to leave the Gulf airline. We meet him in the sprawling, green IT complex Technopark located on the outskirts of Kerala’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram.
The walls of the meeting room are dotted with photographs of historical personalities, ranging from American inventor Thomas Edison to Indian politician Mahatma Gandhi and English social reformer Florence Nightingale. Mathews says the pictures act as inspiration for him and his team to become the preferred technology partner for global airlines such as Etihad Airways and Lufthansa.
“The IT industry globally is a $5 trillion industry. As, against this, the entire aviation industry was only about $700bn in 2018. The IT operation of the airline industry accounted for a smaller share of it. So, the IT business of airlines was a small pie for the IT industry, and airlines mostly had to develop their IT technologies in-house back in the earlier days.
20/09/19 James Mathew/Arabian Business

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IAF receives its first ‘acceptance’ Rafale combat aircraft from France

New Delhi: After a long wait, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has finally received its first ‘acceptance’ Rafale combat aircraft from France.
According to news agency ANI, the IAF got its first ‘acceptance’ Rafale combat aircraft from French firm Dassault Aviation on Thursday.
Deputy Air Force Chief Air Marshal VR Chaudhary also flew in the aircraft for around one hour.
India had signed an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore.
The major defence deal was at the centre of massive political controversy with the Congress and the other Opposition parties alleging corruption by the Narendra Modi government in the deal.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to receive the first of 36 Rafale fighter jets in Paris on October 8 - the foundation day of the Indian Air Force, according to government sources.
20/09/19 Ritesh K Srivastava/Zee News

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Chinese nabbed at IGI airport with gold worth Rs 2 cr

A Chinese national was nabbed at the IGI Airport here for allegedly smuggling gold worth nearly Rs 2 crore.
"The Chinese man named Pucheng Yao arrived at Terminal-3 of the IGI airport from Hong Kong on Wednesday. He was arrested with gold worth Rs 1.9 crore which weighs about 6 kgs," CISF Assistant Inspector General Hemendra Singh told IANS.
In another case, a man named Rajendran Shambi Raj was arrested with a large amount of foreign currency.
19/09/19 WebIndia123.com

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Govt likely sell part of Air India stake to foreign airline; may invite preliminary bids by 10 October: Report

The government is open to selling a partial stake in debt-laden state-run carrier Air India to a foreign airline, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The government has moved about Rs 30,000 crore ($4.21 billion) of Air India's debt to a separate holding company, leaving the carrier with roughly another Rs 30,000 crore of debt, said a Reuters report quoting sources.

The government will also likely invite preliminary bids for the carrier by 10 October, the sources added.
In a major set back for the debt-laden Air India, the finance ministry is unlikely to infuse any additional funds into the debt-laden airline this financial year amid a report that the government may come out with a fresh disinvestment plan for the national carrier.

Accordingly, Rs 2,600 crore will be utilised to pay off the interest on bonds raised by Air India Assets Holdings Ltd (AIAHL).

AIAHL is expected to come out with its second bond offering worth Rs 15,000 crore in the next 10 to 12 days, according to a senior official.

AIAHL—the special purpose vehicle of Air India—mopped up Rs 7,000 crore through bonds on Monday and the issue was oversubscribed more than 20 times.

A total of Rs 22,000 crore is to be raised by sale of bonds by AIAHL and the proceeds would be used to repay the national carrier's debt, which is estimated to be over Rs 58,000 crore.
19/09/19 First Post

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Aviation watchdog may ask Boeing to set up 737 MAX simulators in India

New Delhi: India's aviation safety regulator may ask Boeing to set up simulators in India to train pilots on the 737 MAX planes once it clears the aircraft as safe for flying, a senior official with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The 737 MAX, the fastest-selling plane in Boeing's history, has been grounded the world over since March in the aftermath of two fatal crashes in five months that killed 346 people.
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will also conduct an independent inspection of the grounded planes once they are cleared for flying by the U.S. regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
"Once FAA re-certifies it and says these issues have been resolved then we will evaluate whether what they are saying is right or wrong ... We will carry out our own inspections," the official said, adding that it is unlikely the planes will fly in Indian skies until next year.
Boeing is making software changes and drawing up a new pilot training plan, and will need to conduct a key certification test flight to get the FAA's approval before it can put the planes back in the air. Some federal officials expect the test flight to be conducted in October.
19/09/19 Reuters/Economic Times

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Jet Airways: Synergy meets government officials to discuss airline’s revival

The Synergy Group, the sole suitor for Jet Airways, met with government officials on Wednesday to discuss the revival of the grounded airline. The group, promoted by Bolivian-born German Efromovich, sought assurance from the government on recovery of Jet’s slots. The government sought clarity whether the group’s business proposal was compliant with Indian foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, sources said.
“Officials from the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA ) met with the group’s representatives on Wednesday. The Synergy Group mainly sought assurance on the return of Jet’s slots. In response, the government gave an assurance that reallocating the slots should not be an issue post March,” a person aware of the developments told FE.
The Synergy Group will also send a technical team to evaluate Jet’s assets, sources indicated to FE. The slots of Jet Airways, which has been grounded for the past five months, have been reallocated to other airlines till March 2020.
The government, however, has serious concerns on whether the investment from the Synergy Group will comply with Indian FDI rules, as the group is yet to find an Indian partner. As per the Indian FDI regulations, a foreign airline can directly invest up to 49% in a scheduled Indian carrier. However, the rule applies only to those entities which directly own an airline. If the foreign entity is an investment arm, private equity, fund, bank, or an industry conglomerate, FDI can go up to 74%, which is the maximum permissible investment that can be held by a foreign investor provided it is explicitly not an airline. “The Synergy Group has informed the government that it is looking for Indian partners and their legal team is looking for ways to resolve the concerns regarding FDI,” the source said.
Last week, FE reported that the resolution professional (RP) for Jet Airways has approached at least two Indian companies to partner with the Synergy Group to invest in the grounded airline. Independently, Synergy Group has also held talks with some Indian entities.
19/09/19 Anwesha Ganguly/Financial Express

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Synergy founder Germán Efromovich in talks with Jet Airways to buy significant stake

Synergy Group founder Germán Efromovich met lenders to Jet Airways (India) Ltd in Mumbai in the last two days as part of the South American company’s initial due diligence process to buy a significant stake in the grounded Indian airline, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

Efromovich, the 69-year-old Bolivian-born entrepreneur, wanted to understand the operations and finances of Jet Airways and also the situation that led to the grounding of the airline, the person mentioned above said under the condition of anonymity.

“Efromovich, who seems to be on a reconnaissance trip, also wanted to gauge bankers’ interest in revival of the airline (Jet Airways)," the person said, adding that the businessman is slated to meet officials at the civil aviation ministry to understand the future of slots held by Jet Airways at major domestic and international airports.

“Synergy Group is yet to use the data room available to bidders," the person said.
At present, Synergy Group is the only potential bidder for Jet Airways after the disqualification of Russian fund Treasury RA Creator following its failure to provide enough information about itself to the lenders-appointed resolution professional. The Russian fund also did not deposit the mandatory amount required to seek access to the airline’s data.
“The sense we got from the meeting is that Synergy seems to be a credible investor. Moreover, a strategic investor with a background in running an airline is preferable to just a financial investor," the person said, adding that while the timelines for the resolution plan and the process was discussed, the resolution plan itself did not figure in the meetings.
Multiple calls and text messages to Antonio Guizzetti, president of Washington-based Guizzetti and Associates, the legal adviser to Synergy Group on the Jet Airways acquisition, have remained unanswered till the time of going to press.
Efromovich has also been interested in other airlines apart from Jet Airways. This comes against the backdrop of United Airlines launching a management overhaul at Colombia’s Avianca Holdings in May 2019, removing top shareholder Efromovich from controlling the cash-strapped airline, according to a 24 May Reuters report.
United, which then proposed a three-way joint business agreement with Avianca and Panama’s Copa, said the move followed a default by Efromovich’s holding company BRW Aviation on a USD 456 million loan it made six months ago, according to the report.
18/09/19 Mint/Moneycontrol.com

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Will not allow Modi's Air India One aircraft to fly over country: Pakistan

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected India's request to allow Prime Minister Narendra Modi's VVIP flight to use its airspace for his upcoming visit to the US via Germany, citing "the current situation in Kashmir".

"India had requested Pakistan to allow Modi to use its airspace to travel to Germany on the 21st (Sept) and return on 28th (Sept)," Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said.
Announcing the decision via a video statement, Qureshi said the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad had been informed of Pakistan's decision to not allow prime minister's Modi's special Air India One aircraft to fly over the country.

"In the light of the current situation in Kashmir, India's attitude and atrocities there, we have decided to not allow our airspace for the flight of the Indian prime minister," he said.

Prime Minister Modi is travelling to the US on September 21 to attend the 'Howdy Modi' diaspora event on September 22 along with US President Donald Trump. He will also address the UN General Assembly in New York on September 27.
On September 7, Pakistan refused India's request to allow President Ram Nath Kovind to use its airspace for his flight to Iceland.
Imran Khan-led government has been under pressure from the Opposition and some ministers to impose ban on India to use its airspace after India revoked special status of Kashmir on August 5.
19/09/19 PTI/Business Standard

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GoAir Launches Kannur - Kuwait Flights

GoAir is set to operate its maiden flight starting today from Kannur to Kuwait with a brand new Airbus A320 aircraft. The flight will take off from Kerala’s 2nd Greenfield and 4th International Airport that is built on Public Private Partnership in an area of about 2,300 acres. GoAir’s inaugural flight from Kannur to Kuwait has received fantastic response and the flights are fully booked.

With Kuwait becoming GoAir’s 4th destination in the Gulf region, close on the heels of launching Muscat, Abu Dhabi, followed by Dubai and now the princely state of Kuwait, reveals GoAir’s robust plans to expand its operations across the Middle East region. In doing so, Kannur has emerged as a strategic hub for GoAir’s domestic as well as international operations.  Kannur is a popular destination for both leisure and business travelers within the state of Kerala and the new route to Kuwait will provide more affordable flying options to the international travellers.
19/09/19 T3

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Chandigarh: Air India told to pay up for charging 574 USD for free service

Chandigarh: The district consumer disputes redressal forum, Chandigarh, has directed Air India to pay Rs 60,000 compensation to a daughter of former Chief Justice of India Dr A S Anand, for demanding money for service which they offered for free. They were also directed to refund 574 USD in her account.
The complainant, Jyotika Anand Malhotra, a resident of Sector 2, Chandigarh, had planned a visit to India to attend to her father, who was reportedly seriously ill and she departed from San Francisco, US, on December 1, 2017, and arrived in New Delhi on December 2, 2017. On arrival at New Delhi, she found that her father expired on December 1, 2017.
The complainant anticipating all well with her father and family, planned to go back to San Francisco on December 16, 2017, but later, on the death of her father, to attend the last rights and rituals, ceremonies consequent thereto, was compelled to postpone her journey to December 28, 2017.
On her father's death, which made her change the return date, the Air India in their reply boasted about giving her special treatment by way of offer of executive or business chair in the craft, but later, after three months, asked her to pay 324 USD as fare difference, which had been waived off at the time of issuance ticket with changed date, she said. Also, in June 2017, they raised another demand and asked her to pay 250 US dollar as penalty for change of flight.
19/09/19 Kamini Mehta/Times of India

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Dharmendra Pradhan bats for direct flight to Dubai

Bhubaneswar: Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged his civil aviation counterpart Hardeep Singh Puri to launch a direct flight from Bhubaneswar to Dubai. Pradhan said 15,000 Odias worked in the UAE and would be benefited by a direct flight.
“I am made to understand that there are more than 15,000 Odias living in different parts of the UAE who are forced to take indirect flights. I also understand that the Odia society in the UAE had a meeting with the general manager, Air India (middle east and Africa), regarding the viability of a direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai based on favourable traffic data between the two destinations,” Pradhan said in the letter.
He has also said Bhubaneswar was a hub of education, tourism and healthcare. “Keeping all these factors in mind, I request your intervention for a direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai,” he said.
19/09/19 Times of India

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India, U.S. to end dogfight over ground handling

New Delhi: India is set to amend its ground handling regulations for foreign airlines to pacify the U.S., which in a retaliatory action recently barred Air India from performing ground operations on its own at American airports.

“We are adjusting ground handling norms and devising a mechanism to attempt to address their concerns without compromising security,” P. S. Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, told The Hindu.

On July 30, the U.S. Department of Transportation served an order amending Air India’s foreign air carrier permit, and barring it from performing its own ground-handling functions in the U.S., after India failed to allow U.S. airlines to “exercise their bilateral right to perform their own ground handling (to “self-handle”) at Indian airports”. Air India is the only Indian carrier that currently flies to the U.S.
“A special dispensation will be allowed to those countries with whom we have an air services agreement to perform ground operations,” said another official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, speaking on condition of anonymity. The employees of these foreign airlines would, however, be subjected to stricter security monitoring, the official added.

It is reliably learnt that the Ministry will be seeking an in-principle approval from the Union Cabinet as the issue pertains to national security, before moving to modify the clause in the Airports Authority of India (Ground Handling Services Regulations), 2018, which forbids foreign airlines from carrying out security functions within ground handling services.

The amendment will provide relief to two other countries with which India has an air services agreement on ground handling — Australia and Canada. The restriction on security functions will continue to apply to foreign airlines of other countries, the official added.
19/09/19 Jagriti Chandra/The Hindu

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12 of top 30 airports in 2018 located in either China or India: ACI's World Airport Traffic Report

Trade association of the world’s airports, Airports Council International's (ACI) latest World Airport Traffic Report has revealed that most of the world’s fastest-growing airports are located in emerging markets, a significant proportion of them being in the Asia-Pacific region. As many as 12 of the fastest-growing top 30 airports in 2018 are located in either China or India.

India's Bangalore airport was the fastest growing airport in 2018 for more than 15 million passengers. Bangalore airport carried 32, 331,783 (29.1 percent) passengers, while Hyderabad airport took the third spot carrying 20, 903, 930 (21.9 percent) passengers. The 2nd, 4th and 5th positions were taken by Antalya airport in Turkey, Vnukovo airport in Russia and Jinan airport in China, respectively.
“India’s move towards a more liberalised aviation market and the nation’s strengthening economic fundamentals have helped it become one of the fastest-growing markets with its traffic growing rapidly in a relatively short time,” Angela Gittens, director general, ACI World said.

In the full list of top airports for passenger traffic, cargo and aircraft movements, New Delhi airport moved up four positions from rank 16 in 2017 to rank 12 in 2018, carrying 69,900,938 passengers (a change of 10.2%). However, no Indian airport made an appearance in the full list of airports for cargo movements.
19/09/19 India Transport & Logistics News

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India requests Islamabad to allow PM Modi's plane use Pak airspace

India has formally requested Islamabad to give permission for PM Modi's plane to use Pakistani airspace during his upcoming US Vist. PM Modi will be in United States from 21st to 27th of September for big-ticket events like diaspora event in Houston and address to United Nations General Assembly. 

New Delhi had sent the request last week and Pakistan is still to respond. The country has to respond before the 20th of September.  A rejection this time will be considered a violation of ICOA or International Civil Aviation Organization charter. Under the charter, unless its war, denying the use of airspace by singling out cannot be done by any country. New Delhi can take Pakistan to ICOA where the country can be slapped with a heavy fine.

Earlier this month, India had requested Islamabad to allow President Ram Nath Kovind's plane to use the Pakistani airspace during his Europe visit but it was rejected by the country. Rejecting the Indian request, Pak FM SM Qureshi had said, "Indian government had asked Pakistan to use its airspace for its president's movement. Given the current situation, we have decided not to give permission to India for this airspace usage"
India had regretted Pakistan's "futile" decision of not allowing President Ram Nath Kovind's plane to use the country's airspace.
Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said, "To deny overflight clearance for the VVIP special flight which is otherwise granted routinely by any normal country. We call upon Pakistan to recognise the futility of such unilateral actions." Last month India had requested Islamabad to grant the use of airspace for Prime minister Narendra Modi's visit to France which the country allowed despite the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions.
02/09/19 Sidhant Sibal/DNA

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India Base Planned For British Airways Cabin Crew

British Airways is planning to open a cabin crew base in Hyderabad, India. The move is to provide more Telegu speaking crew on the route from London to Hyderabad from 2020.
India is an important market for British Airways. In fact, over the past six years, the airline has launched several adverts targeted at passengers travelling between London and India. Today, Business Traveller revealed that the British airline is going to start basing crew in India. This will see Telegu speakers trained in London, and acting as crew on the London to Hyderabad route. Around a year ago BA announced it was closing its Hong Kong crew base.
British Airways’ is attempting to tailor its Indian services towards all passengers. Indeed, according to Business Traveller, two Indian crew members are rostered onto every flight operating to and from the country.
The airline currently operates to five destinations within India. These flights all operate from the airline’s home at Heathrow and fly to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Indeed, the route to Bengaluru is set to be the fourth to receive the carrier’s new Airbus A350 aircraft.
Now, passengers on the Hyderabad to London route will benefit from cabin crew speaking the local dialect for the region, Telegu. According to the 2011 Indian census, there are 81 million native speakers of the language. These speakers are mostly concentrated in the central part of the east coast of India.
The crew will be fully-fledged members of British Airways cabin crew. They will have been trained at the carrier’s main location in London to the same standards as any other member of crew. The only difference will be that they start and end their workday in Hyderabad, not London.
17/09/19 Tom Boon/Simple Flying

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Direct Flight To Dubai From Bhubaneswar Sought

Bhubaneswar: Following the operations of direct flight to Bangkok from Bhubaneswar, the demand for a direct flight to other international destination like Dubai has been increasing steadily.
Taking cognizance of the matter, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has requested Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh for his personal intervention towards the launch of a direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai.
In a letter to Puri, Pradhan said that Odisha is emerging as a growth-engine for Eastern India and hence there is a need to improve direct international connectivity to the State’s Capital city which will further boost the region’s development prospects.
“There are more than 15000 Odia people residing in different parts of the United Arab Emirates who are forced to undertake an indirect route for travelling to Odisha. I also understand the Odia Society of UAE had a meeting with GM Air India Middle-East and Africa regarding the viability of a direct Air India flight between Bhubaneswar and Dubai based on favourable traffic data between these destinations,” he said in the letter.
18/09/19 Odishatv.in

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Flights to Kathmandu airport affected due to foggy weather

Kathmandu: Flights coming to Kathmandu from various parts of the country as well as international destinations have been affected due to low visibility caused by incessant rain in the valley.

Both domestic and international flights have failed to land at the Tribhuvan International Airport on Tuesday due to low visibility, said the airport''s General Manager Raj Kumar Chettri.

He informed that planes coming from New Delhi were running circles around Kathmandu whereas domestic flights have been put on hold at their respective airports.

According to officials, at least 250 foreign tourists have been stranded in Lukla, the gateway to Mt Everest, due to poor weather. The choppers had been flown to Lukla from Kathmandu to rescue the stranded foreign trekkers at Lukla.

Continuous rains have occurred in Kathmandu since Monday and the rain is expected to continue till Thursday, according to Weather Forecasting Division.

Kathmandu airport have been hit by low visibility with dense fog.
17/09/19 Shirish B Pradhan/PTI/Outlook

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28-year-old Indian Travelling with Fake German Passport Denied Entry into US

New York: A 28-year-old Indian national was refused entry into the US after the border authorities found that he was travelling with a fraudulent German passport.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers intercepted the Indian national on Monday at the Washington Dulles International Airport.
Authorities declined to prosecute the Indian man, who was refused admission to the United States. Due to privacy laws, the man's name was not released as he was not criminally charged, a CBP release said.

The Indian national arrived from Accra, Ghana and presented the German passport to a CBP officer during inspection.

The officer detected discrepancies in the passport's biographical page and referred the man to a secondary examination, during which CBP officers were unable to access the passport's electronic chip and suspected it to be altered or damaged.
When questioned, the man admitted to purchasing the passport in Ghana. CBP officers seized the passport and refused the Indian national admission to the United States, the release said.
18/09/19 PTI/News18.com

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Bird-hit SL flight lands safely

Trichy: A Sri Lankan Airlines flight, which landed safely despite suffering a bird-hit at the Trichy international airport on Sunday, flew back to Colombo in the early hours of Monday after the snag was rectified. A total of 146 passengers including crew members had a miraculous escape when a bird hit the right engine of the flight minutes before its scheduled landing at 8.40 am on Sunday.
Subsequently, the pilot got in touch with the air traffic control and sought permission for emergency landing. Though fire tenders and other equipment were deployed to handle the emergency, the pilot managed to make a safe landing and the passengers were evacuated quickly.
Later, the airline flew in technical experts from Colombo who attended to the aircraft’s trouble. It took nearly 15 hours for the engineers to rectify the problem and the flight was able to take off to Colombo on Monday morning.
17/09/19 Times of India

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Air India And Korea Tourism Join Hands To Launch The Direct Service On Delhi-Seoul Route

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Air India joined hands to announce the launch of the new nonstop flight connection from Delhi to Seoul recently. The event, attended by more than 100 trade and media participants, was addressed by Jong Ho Choi, Minister of Embassy of Republic of Korea in India and Meenakshi Malik, Commercial Director, Air India.

The latest updates of the destination were presented by KTO and the in-flight facilities, baggage advantages and competitive prices were introduced by Air India to travel trade partners. This first joint promotion initiative between KTO and Air India intends to promote more travelers visiting from India to South Korea with Air India as their preferred airline.

The flight offers a lot of advantages over its competitors flying in the same sector. It will be the shortest duration flight flying from Delhi-Seoul with 6 hrs flying time and maximum baggage allowance of two pieces, which is 46 kgs for economy passengers.

In 2018, approximately 119,791 Indians  visited South Korea and 150,457 South Korean tourist visited India. The increasing exchange of tourists between both the countries has encouraged both the organizations to join hands and promote the destination and the new flight connection.
17/09/19 T3

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Two US Citizens Held After Flying Drone Near Indian Presidential Residence

New Delhi: Two US nationals have been taken into custody by Delhi Police after flying drones in the high security zone surrounding Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official home of the President of India in New Delhi, police said on Monday.
Flying drones is banned in the airspace surrounding the Parliament building and Rashtrapati Bhavan as the area is designated as a 'red zone' by India’s aviation authority. An official document, known as an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit, is needed in order to pilot a drone and foreigners are currently not allowed to fly drones in India
The father-son duo, identified as Peter James Lynn, 65, and Guillaume Leadbetter Lynn, 30, arrived in India from the US on a tourist visa on 14 September.
During questioning, the two revealed that they were recording the video for the online portal they work for. Both men claimed to be unaware that the use of drones is banned in Delhi.
According to police, nothing suspicious has been found as yet but the investigation remains ongoing.
16/09/19 Sputnik

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Snag hits Air India One, President Kovind stuck in Zurich for hours

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind’s flight from Zurich to Slovenia was delayed on Sunday after the Air India Boeing 747 that was to fly as AI One developed a snag. According to sources, the president drove to Zurich airport where a last-minute glitch on the 26-year-old jumbo jet (VT-ESO) was suspected. The VVIP returned to his hotel and AI aircraft engineers immediately started working on the aircraft "Khajuraho".
During this time, an AI Boeing 777 that was to operate on London-Mumbai sector with a schedule departure time of 1.15 pm (local time London) as flight 130 was kept on standby at Heathrow as alternate AI One to be flown to Zurich for the President’s journeys if needed.
Luckily AI engineers rectified the jumbo jet which then flew President Kovind to Slovenia with a delay of a few hours. And AI 130 flew to Mumbai at 2.30 pm (local time London) from Heathrow without requiring to fly as alternate AI One to Zurich, say sources.
Keeping an Air India aircraft at a foreign base nearest from where AI One has to operate as standby is a regular practice. This overseas trip of President Kovind first made news when Pakistan on September 7 denied permission for it to fly over its airspace from India to Europe and back.
The B747 took a longer route to Europe when it left last Monday (Sept 9) and will take the longer route back home too. Now India is not going to seek clearance for VVIP flights to use Pakistan airspace till relations between he two countries improve.
16/09/19 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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India to Perth direct flights a certainty, but locking in an airline proves challenging

The West Australian government can tick Japan-to-Perth direct flights off its wish list, but an Indian equivalent is proving much harder to secure.
The government has set itself the challenge of securing direct Perth flights to Japan, Shanghai and India. The Japan flight landed for the first time on September 1, but meetings between WA Tourism Minister Paul Papalia, Indian airlines and Indian ministers are yet to bear fruit.
India’s oldest private airline, Jet Airways, collapsed in April this year and one of the country’s biggest – the government-controlled and debt-ridden Air India – is up for sale.
“In India, it's a little challenging. We've confronted their elections in the middle of our negotiations,” Mr Papalia said.
“One of the airlines we were talking to collapsed ... it’s a moveable feast but we've talked to about seven airlines in India.
“We've talked to the biggest online tour agents, Make My Trip and we've met the new state minister for civil aviation.”
Mr Papalia said with the increasing flow of Indian visitors to WA that occurred naturally, a direct flight was a certain.
“We will get a flight; it’s the fastest-growing aviation market in the world,” he said.
16/09/19 Hamish Hastie/WAtoday

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Karipur-Jeddah flight makes emergency landing at Taif airport in Saudi

Taif: A SpiceJet flight from Kozhikode to Jeddah made an emergency landing at Taif airport due to technical snag. The flight carrying 184 passengers landed at Taif international airport on Sunday around 8.40 am.
Among the passengers 101 were Umrah pilgrims. Others were returning to Jeddah after spending holidays in Kerala.
Passengers in the flight were taken outside the airport after immigration clearance.
Umrah pilgrims were taken to Mecca via bus around 5 pm from Taif airport. Bus service was arranged for other passengers to Jeddah.
16/09/19 Mathrubhumi

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IndiGo forgets luggage of entire Delhi to Istanbul flight. Internet explodes

New Delhi: On a flight from Delhi to Istanbul on September 15, 2019, IndiGo did something which led to the hashtag #ShameOnIndiGo trend on Twitter. IndiGo, which was flying the passengers to Istanbul, left behind the luggage of the entire aircraft back in Delhi.

Twitter user Chinmay Dabke, who was on this Delhi-Istanbul flight, took to his account to share the details of the incident.

Chinmay wrote, "Just flew in on @IndiGo6E flight 6E 11 from Delhi to Istanbul last evening. We received this piece of paper when we were waiting for our luggage at the belt. The airline did not load the luggage of the ENTIRE FLIGHT. Not a single passenger got their luggage (1/n) #shameonindigo," as he shared a picture of the apology note handed to the passengers.
He continued by saying, "How can an airline as big as @IndiGo6E 'forget' or 'miss out' on loading luggage. I get you forgot the luggage for a few people on the flight. But the ENTIRE flight? What are Indian operations in Delhi doing? (2/n) #shameonindigo."
That was not all, he wrote all the problems that this created for the passengers. He tweeted, "My father has his necessary medication in his luggage. He is a diabetes patient who needs his daily dose. Some other travelers were on connecting flights to their end destinations in different countries. What do these folks do? (3/n) #shameonindigo @IndiGo6E."

Finally, while praising the ground staff at the Istanbul airport, Chinmay wrote, "However, the only positive from this ordeal is that the ground staff at Istanbul airport was extremely cooperative and helped everyone fill out requisite forms so they can identify luggage and give it back to us. It is not easy dealing with 130+ angry Indians."
16/09/19 India Today

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SIA Partners With Condé Nast & Himalayan India’s Top Restaurant Awards 2019

Singapore Airlines has collaborated exclusively with the Condé Nast Traveller and Himalayan India’s Top Restaurant Awards 2019 to bring India’s finest gastronomy to its First and Business Class passengers.

The results of the 3rd edition of the Top Restaurant Awards will be announced in November. At the same time, one restaurant from the Top 50 list will be chosen to work with Singapore Airlines in Singapore to recreate a dish to be served in-flight from April 2020.

A special jury will select the winner from the Top 50 list. On the panel are: Senior management of Singapore Airlines, Sanjeev Kapoor, celebrity chef, part of Singapore Airlines’ International Culinary Panel, Divia Thani, Editor, Condé Nast Traveller India, Kuttiah KS, Vice-President & Head of Marketing, NourishCo Beverages

The chef and team of the winning restaurant will have the exciting opportunity to travel to Singapore and experience the state-of-the-art in-flight kitchen facilities used by the airline, to understand the challenges and nuances of cooking for air travel, and to recreate a signature dish in this environment. The dish will be served to First and Business Class passengers for one month starting April 2020.

Singapore Airlines has tied up with eight world-renowned chefs to create new dishes inspired by their cultures and experiences. These award-winning chefs of global stature form the airline’s International Culinary Panel. Set up in 1998, the panel works closely with the carrier’s own chefs to specially create the unique selection that is available for Singapore Airlines passengers.
16/09/19 T3

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Two batches of Hajis arrive at RGIA

Nampally: Two batches consisting of 684 Haj pilgrims hailing from AP, Telangana and Karnataka arrived at the Haj Terminal of Shamshabad International Airport on Saturday.
The first flight Al-5404 with 342 Haj pilgrims of Andhra Pradesh arrived at 2.45 pm, and the second flight Al-5398 with 342 Haj pilgrims, including 213 Haj pilgrims of Karnataka, 117 of Andhra Pradesh and 12 of Telangana State, arrived at 5.25 pm.
According to Haj Committee, Chairman at Telangana State Haj Committee Md Masiullah Khan, along with B Shafiullah, executive officer at TS Haj Committee, received the Haj pilgrims at the airport and congratulated them on fulfilling their lifetime desire of performing Haj.
16/09/19 Hans India

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International in name, but no overseas flights

Vijayawada: The State government is exploring all possible ways to have the much-needed international connectivity to the Vijayawada International Airport in Gannavaram.

According to officials, proposals were sent to several international and domestic airlines highlighting the projected patronage and demand for direct flights between the city airport and various international destinations.
“Letters have been sent to international and domestic airlines like Air India, Indigo, SpiceJet, Emirates and Etihad Airways through the State government a week ago. The airlines are yet to respond,” said airport Director G. Madhusudhan Rao.

It may be recalled that the only international flight from the city airport to Singapore by IndiGo had been withdrawn recently following the State government’s decision not to renew the six-month agreement between IndiGo and the AP Airports Development Corporation, a special purpose vehicle.

The State reportedly incurred losses and paid crores of rupees to IndiGo towards Viability Gap Funding as per the State’s aviation policy.

On the other hand, the State government is pursuing with the Centre to get the city airport designated as a Point of Call (PoC) destination.
16/09/19 Tharun Boda/The Hindu

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Flydubai eyes new India routes

Flydubai has plans to launch new direct services to several airports in India and is currently awaiting regulatory approvals to begin these services, a senior executive of the airline has said.

“We are looking at a number of airports in India that we can potentially operate to. Announcements will be made only when the necessary approvals are obtained,” Sudhir Sreedharan, vice president, commercial operations of Flydubai, told Arabian Business.

Aviation industry sources in India said Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is among the new destinations Flydubai is looking at to commence operations in the near future and that it has held discussions with India’s aviation ministry and regulatory officials concerning the new route.

Flydubai executives, however, did not comment on any specific route plan.

“We continuously look at opportunities to ?expand our operations in the market (in India). Any discussions regarding bilateral agreements are done at a government level,” Sreedharan said.

“We remain committed to opening up underserved markets that had no or very little direct connections to the UAE. We will continue to look at more opportunities to strengthen the air links in the region and provide more passengers with more options to travel whether on business or economy,” he added.
Restrictions on flying rights and passenger seat capacities under the bilateral air services pact between India and the UAE have been  hampering airlines the launch of new and additional services between Dubai and India.
With the capacity under the bilateral rights almost exhausted, aviation authorities and airlines in the UAE have been asking for a review of the existing bilateral rights to expand capacities between the two regions.
16/09/19 James Mathew/Arabian Business

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Air India signs test deal with BCCI for South Africa series, eyes annual pact

New Delhi:  With Jet Airways under insolvency, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to give Air India a try as they have signed a deal with the national carrier for the ongoing series against South Africa. If things go well and the board is happy with the services, it could be an annual deal between the two parties.

Speaking to IANS, sources in the Air India management confirmed the development and said that the as of now, arrangements are on for the South Africa series. "We have joined hands with the BCCI and the Indian team travelled by Air India to Dharamsala and will be using the services through the series. Post that, we will sit and assess how to move forward," the source said.


A BCCI functionary said that with Jet out of the market, the board looked at working with Air India and if things go well, the one-series agreement has the potential to turn into an annual contract.

"We are doing the current South Africa series with Air India since Jet is no longer flying. We had a contract with them (Jet) when it came to the team travelling in India. But we had to look at options at the start of this home season and we decided to give this a go and if all goes well, we move to a longer contract, say an annual one," the functionary explained.
16/09/19 IANS/New Indian Express

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Air India to start new flight from Delhi to Seoul; 10 pct discount on ticket fare

Government-run Air India is introducing a new flight from New Delhi to Korean capital Seoul. The airline announced that it will start a non-stop flight from New Delhi to Seoul from September 19, 2019.  The customers can avail of 10 percent discount in Business and Economy Class on base fare.  The passengers can book tickets under this scheme from August 23 to October 15, 2019. The outbound travel will be commencing on September 19, 2019, and the travellers will be able to travel until March 31, 2020.

The passengers will be able to book their tickets either through the Air India website or other channels. The airline is allowing 2 pieces (32 Kg each) of baggage in business and economy class until March 31, 2020, and 1 piece (32 kg) baggage allowance is permissible until April 1, 2020.

"Avail 10% discount in Business and Economy Class on base fare for journey commencing ex-India to Seoul (ICN) via DEL on-flight numbers AI312/313 (One Way/Return) only.Scheme Validity: 23rd August 2019 up to 15th October 2019," a blog post on Air India website stated.
15/09/19 ZeeBiz

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Singapore eyes over a million visitors from India in 2019

Singapore is looking at continuing the four year trend of having over a million visitor arrivals from India in the current year as it undertakes a number of measures to hard sell the country as a preferred destination.

India is currently the third largest source market for visitor arrivals to Singapore, a senior tourism board official said.

“It has been a soft year for Indian arrivals to Singapore. But the Singapore Tourism Board is working with airlines, travel agents and trade partners to finish the year on more than one million visitor arrivals again in 2019,” Singapore Tourism Board’s India, Middle East & South Asia Regional Director G B Srithar told PTI.

In 2018, for the fourth year in a row, India contributed more than a million visitor arrivals to Singapore, he added.

“India is also the number one source market for cruise tourism for Singapore. 1.6 lakh cruise travellers from India visited Singapore in 2018,” Srithar said.

When asked about the factors which make Singapore a preferred destination for visitors from India, he said both countries shared over five decades of very close socio-economic and political ties.

Singapore has a very high brand affinity with the Indian consumers, he added.

Short flying time is also a huge advantage. Good connectivity with more than 200 weekly flights from India to Singapore, hassle free convenient visa regime for Indian travellers also make Singapore a very attractive destination, Srithar said.
15/09/19 PTI/Business Line

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India's budget airline IndiGo to fly directly to inland China

Chengdu: IndiGo Airlines would open a direct flight between Delhi and Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

William Boulter, chief commercial officer of the Indian airline, made the announcement at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Sunday. The direct flight from Chengdu to Delhi would be opened on September 16.

This was the first time for the Indian budget airline to enter the Chinese mainland market.

According to Boutler, IndiGo is the fastest growing airline in India, operating about 1,400 flights daily.

IndiGo planned to open more flights between Chinese cities and India.
15/09/19 Xinhua

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Aeroflot to resume flights on Mumbai-Moscow route from next July

Mumbai: Russian flag carrier Aeroflot plans to revive its services to Mumbai from the second quarter of the next fiscal year, even as its New Delhi-Moscow route continues to see high demand, the airline has said.
The airline said India remains a priority market and sees "immense" growth potential with traffic surging dramatically since the doubling of its services to New Delhi in 2016, clocking around 3 lakh passengers annually.
Connecting India for more than six decades now, Aeroflot currently flies twice daily between the two capitals, the airline told PTI in an e-mail response from its Moscow headquarters and confirmed Mumbai-Moscow flight plans from mid-2020.
The move is significant as New Delhi and Moscow are eyeing to nearly treble bilateral trade to USD 30 billion by 2025 from around USD 11 billion now.
"Aeroflot is set to resume services to Mumbai with a daily flight deploying an Airbus A330 from July 2020," said the airline spokesperson, emphasising that given its size and potential, as well as the positive legacy of bilateral ties, India remains a priority market for Aeroflot.
15/09/19 PTI/Economic Times

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Sats and DHL sign MOU to create offerings for airlines to better manage supply chain

Singapore: Airport and food services provider Sats has joined forces with logistics giant DHL to offer carriers like Singapore Airlines (SIA) new ways to better manage food and other resources.

The initiative will deliver costs savings for airlines while giving travellers more choice of in-flight meals and a greater array of amenities such as duty-free goods, among other benefits, the firms said.

They will be focusing on the airline market in India, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Sats, Changi Airport's biggest ground handler, and DHL said the memorandum of understanding combines their strengths: "The comprehensive ... solution spans demand planning, menu customisation and planning, to supply chain consultancy and reverse logistics."

Reverse logistics involves moving goods from where they are consumed back to their point of origin for reuse or disposal.

The firms added: "With end-to-end visibility, airlines will be able to achieve higher consistency, better inventory management, reduced waste and greater customer insights."

They also said the tie-up will remove the need for airlines to seek out different providers for different services.
15/09/19 Straits Times

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2 Myanmarese Women Arrested at Delhi IGI Airport for Smuggling Gold Worth Over Rs 1 Crore

New Delhi: Two Myanmarese women were arrested at the Delhi airport upon their arrival from Thailand for allegedly smuggling gold jewellery worth over Rs 1 crore, Customs officials said on Saturday.
The passengers, who arrived at T-3, IGI airport on Thursday from Bangkok, were intercepted by the Customs officers after they had crossed the green channel, they said.
A personal and baggage search resulted in the recovery of gold jewellery studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, blue sapphire, pearls and other semi-precious stones weighing 2,075 grams having a tariff value of Rs 1,39,18,394, the officials added.
14/09/19 PTI/News18.com

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Delhi: Elderly man arrested with forged passport at IGI airport

The Delhi Police nabbed a 68-year-old man on Friday from Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The accused had traveled with a fake passport from Hong Kong.

Sanjay Bhatia, DCP of IGIA said that the person whose actual name is Gurdeep Singh, a resident of Moga in Punjab, had come from Hong Kong with a passport issued in the name of Karnail Singh.

"When he reached at the immigration clearance, it was noticed that his date of birth in passport was October 10, 1930 while he looked more younger than that. The immigration officials took him for questioning where he revealed that his actual name was Gurdip Singh and his date of birth was March 10, 1951," Bhatia said.

The accused said that he had travelled on an original passport till 1995 but since he was not able to obtain a Hong Kong Permanent Residence Card (HKPRC), he contacted a travel agent who facilitated him a fake passport in the name of Karnail Singh.
14/09/19 Ajay Kumar/India Today

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Thai AirAsia culls Visakhapatnam flight

Visakhapatnam: Thai AirAsia is due to end its direct air service from Bangkok to Visakhapatnam in India 18 September according to a report in the Times of India.

The airline, based in Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, has neither confirmed nor denied the report, but local travel executives said the cancellation of flights would be a major blow for the city’s tourism aspirations.

The low-cost airline started the service from its Bangkok base in December last year offering three weekly flights.
The direct flights priced one-way at THB4,530 are bookable up to 18 September. After that date travellers have to book flights with a change of plane in Kuala Lumpur. The fare for two-sector travel is slightly higher at THB5,998.

However, the differences in flight times are dramatic. The one-way journey between Bangkok and Visakhapatnam on the direct route was two hours and 55 minutes.  The same trip via Kuala Lumpur with a change of plane takes 14 hours and 50 minutes.

Sources said the withdrawal of direct flights could be due to poor revenue management even though airline officials in Visakhapatnam boasted the cabin factor had reached 80%, which should return an operating profit on a route.
13/09/19 TTR Weekly

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Portuguese hand in Delhi, Bengaluru airport facial recognition trials kicks up storm

Handing over Delhi and Bengaluru airports' facial recognition trial run to a cloud-based Portuguese tech firm 'Vision-Box' has raised privacy and security concerns.

For the three-month long trials, which began on September 6 for passengers taking Vistara flights at Terminal 3, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has roped in the Lisbon-headquartered firm for technical and software support. Vision-Box is already working with the Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru) for an end-to-end paperless biometric programme since July.

Vision-Box's facial recognition technology is a cloud-ready Identity Management as a Service (IdMaaS) architecture, and more than 80 international airports are using its solutions at the moment.
"There are already data privacy concerns in the country. We have to see that whether the servers on which the personal data will be stored are located in India or abroad...it's nearly impossible to trust any company since there have been several instances of data compromises at large internet companies like Facebook and Google," says Sanjay Kaushik, MD, Netrika Consulting, a corporate security and risk consulting firm.
Engaging a foreign tech firm that had set up shop in the country only about a year ago has not gone down well with experts in aviation and privacy laws. In India, the company has three board members - Bento Antonio Brazio Correia, Miguel Leitmann (who's also the company's global CEO) and Saurabh Kumar. In 2015, a European private equity firm Keensight Capital invested an undisclosed amount in the parent entity.
12/09/19 Manu Kaushik/Business Today

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Air India announces direct Delhi-Seoul flight

Air India has announced its new direct route of Delhi – Seoul, starting from 19 September. The national carrier will operate direct flights four days a week on the two route using the state-of-the-art Dreamliner aircraft with a capacity of 256 passengers.  Air India was so far operating one-stop flight to Seoul via Hong Kong.

The announcement was made by Air India and Korea Tourism Organisation at a joint event in Delhi. “There is a huge potential for direct flight between Seoul and India that needed to be tapped.  It will stimulate both passenger and cargo loads,” said Meenakshi Malik, executive director of commercial operations at Air India.

The Air India Delhi – Seoul flight will be the most competitive product on the route connecting Delhi with Incheon in the shortest possible time of six hours. The direct flight is in line with the Look East Policy of the government and will drive more tourism and leisure travel between the two destinations over and above the existing business travel demand, she added.
12/09/19 Megha Paul/Travel Daily Media

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Ethiopian Airlines' passenger flights to Bengaluru from 27 October, says company eyes expansion in India

Bengaluru: Ethiopian Airlines on Friday announced that it would start passenger flight service to Bengaluru from 27 October.

 Ethiopian Airlines passenger flights to Bengaluru from 27 October, says company eyes expansion in IndiaRepresentational image. Reuters
Currently, it operates two passenger flights daily to Mumbai and Delhi as well as cargo service to Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi, the company said in a press release.

Four weekly direct flights would be scheduled between Bengaluru and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, the release said.

"We are thrilled to launch operations in Bengaluru as part of our strategic plan to expand in India. We are one of the first entrants to serve Indian market, having 48 years of continuous operation out of Mumbai. Yet again, we are glad to be the first airline to give direct connection from South India to Africa," regional director (Indian sub-continent) of Ethiopian Airlines Tadesse Tilahun said.
13/09/19 First Post

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How Indian travellers are fastracking Sri Lanka tourism’s revival

While Sri Lanka’s tourism industry took a hit in the aftermath of the Sunday Easter bombings in April this year, the tourism industry is well on the way to recovery. This recovery is being led by Indian arrivals which rose by 17 percent in August even though the total tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka dropped by 28 per cent in August as compared to a year ago. In fact, India was the largest source of tourist traffic to Sri Lanka in August 2019. This growth in tourist arrivals has been owing to the fact that travel and hospitality industry went all out to woo Indians post the attacks. Free visa on arrival was introduced for Indians that came into effect from August 1st.
In July national carrier SriLankan Airlines offered enhanced connectivity adding four weekly flights on Delhi-Colombo route and taking the total number to 18 weekly flights between two capital cities. “We have seen growing interest from Indians and hence we added flights to attract more travelers. Besides leisure travelers we have seen interest from MICE segments and also to organize destination weddings,” said Chinthaka Weerasinghe, Manager, Northern India, SriLankan Airlines. The recent numbers for Indian travelers haven’t disappointed. India is an important market for the airline and constitutes almost 24 per cent of the total passengers travelling with SriLankan Airlines on its international network.
Hotels too pitched in with attractive packages to woo back travelers. It was also because of the above reasons that when I had to plan a quick weekend getaway last month, I chose Sri Lanka for my holiday. A three and a half hour direct flight from Delhi to Colombo enjoying the extra leg room and hospitality that Sri Lankan Airlines J class offers, followed by a very smooth immigration at the Colombo Airport ( unlike Thailand where free visa on arrival has resulted in long queues!) reiterated the fact that I had made the right decision. No wonder Indian arrivals have increased despite the many cancellations that the country witnessed post the attacks on hotels and churches.
11/09/19 Vishakha Talreja/Financial Express

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French aircraft company sets up production facility in Belagavi

Bengaluru: Paris-based Latécoère, a company that manufactures aerostructures such as fuselage sections and doors, and interconnection systems, including onboard wiring, electrical harnesses, and avionics bays for major international aircraft manufacturers, has set up a manufacturing plant in Belagavi.

To start with, the 4,400-sq. m plant would manufacture radio navigation harnesses for Falcon 2000. In the future, it would also manufacture harnesses and avionics harnesses for aircraft such as Boeing B777, B737, and Airbus A320 and for airlines such as Emirates, British Airways, and Qatar Airways.
Yannick Assouad, CEO of Latécoère, said, “I am proud to open a new chapter for Latécoère’s development in India, alongside two prestigious names in aerospace, Dassault Aviation and Thales. Latécoère continues to evolve in line with the ‘Transformation 2020’ plan and actively pursue its strategy to optimise its industrial infrastructure and ensure operational excellence and quality for all customers.”

At the inception, the manufacturing plant will employ 70 people while it will have a workforce of over 300 people by 2022.
12/09/19 The Hindu

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India-Poland direct flight to be launched on September 12

New Delhi: Economic ties between India and Poland will receive a boost with the beginning of direct flights from September 12. According to Polish sources, the flight will be operated by LOT Polish Airlines and the first flight will fly Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Marcin Przydacz to India.

The direct flight will connect New Delhi with Warsaw and will operate five times a week. The visit of the Minister comes weeks after the visit of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Warsaw. Mr. Przydacz is expected to meet Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri and also T.S. Tirumurti, Secretary of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of External Affairs.
11/09/19 The Hindu

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Govt refuses airlines’ plea for more bilateral rights

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government is set to continue in its second term the policy of not increasing foreign flying rights with countries in West Asia and Southeast Asia, as their allocation has been controversial in the past and was flagged by Indian audit and investigation agencies.
In a recent meeting at the civil aviation ministry, a request from airlines to increase bilateral foreign flying rights with certain countries was not entertained and the airlines were asked to look at other available routes, according to people aware of the matter.
“Suggestions were made to start flights to long-haul destinations like London and Canada and also to Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries,” said one person, who did not wish to be identified. Airlines are allowed to launch unlimited flights to Asean countries from a few destinations in the country.
The government’s response came after airlines sought an increase in foreign flying rights to short-haul international destinations, as both existing and new airlines are planning to expand to overseas destinations. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Singapore are also seeking an increase in foreign flying rights after the existing rights have been exhausted from both sides.
The number of flights between two countries is guided by a bilateral foreign flying rights regime which specifies the number of flights airlines can operate to the other country. India has signed such bilateral agreements with 109 countries.
Aviation analysts said that restricting foreign flying rights on routes where both sides have exhausted the quota is anti-consumerist as it would keep fares firm.
The demand from Indian carriers was met to an extent after the grounding of Jet Airways, whose foreign flying rights for destinations such as Dubai, Singapore, Qatar, China and Hong Kong were allocated to other domestic carriers. Airlines are, however, demanding a further increase to boost their expansion plans, as Vistara and AirAsia India also plan to expand internationally.
12/09/19 Mihir Mishra/Economic Times

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Flying in India? Hold onto your wallet

The price-sensitive Indian air passenger will have to shell out more this fiscal year as fares are expected to rise due to limited capacity addition and the grounding of full service carrier Jet Airways with its fleet of 119 aircraft.

Rating agency Crisil Research says ticket prices are expected to rise 7-9% during the period, the highest since 2013, when another popular airline, Kingfisher, was grounded, Press Trust of India reports.

The agency has forecast that the growth of air passenger traffic within the country will be subdued, at 6-8% in this fiscal year, as against a robust 19% in the year ended March 2019.

In addition to the Jet Airways crisis, the global grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft since March, following two fatal crashes, has also hampered aircraft availability. Budget carrier SpiceJet was badly hit as it had 12 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its fleet.

If Boeing 737 Max planes are allowed to fly later in the year it may help increase the air passenger growth by up to 1%, the agency opined.

As for capacity addition, the rating agency said it will be brought in mainly by low-cost carriers such as SpiceJet and IndiGo. The two airlines are expected to post strong double-digit growth of 25-30% in passenger traffic for fiscal year 2020, the agency added.
12/09/19 KS Kumar/Asia Times

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GoAir launches bookings for Kuwait-Kannur-Kuwait

Chennai: GoAir has opened bookings for the Kuwait-Kannur-Kuwait sector. Close on the heels of launching Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Dubai, GoAir has launched its 4th destination — Kuwait — as part of its GCC strategy.
With an inaugural fare of KD 56 (Rs. 13,160) for a return ticket, GoAir will be operating daily flights G8 62 from Kuwait to Kannur and G8 61 from Kannur to Kuwait starting Sept. 19, 2019.
GoAir will be deploying its brand new Airbus A320neo aircraft on this important sector in the Gulf. The inaugural flight will take-off from Kannur International Airport at 07:00 hours (local time) and reach Kuwait at 09:30 hours (local time).
GoAir also announced the appointment of its General Sales Agent (GSA), Kuwait's Resource Management International (RMI). RMI is part of Kuwait's Al-Waseet Travel Tourism Services (WTTS). WTTS is a full-service travel management company that is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Association of American Travel Agents (ASTA), and it has International Standards Organisation certification (ISO 9001:2008).
12/09/19 Deccan Chronicle

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LOT Polish Airlines launched flights between Delhi and Warsaw

Today, shortly after 11.00h LOT Polish Airlines’ state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took off from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport to begin its 8-hour new flight to Warsaw. From now on, LOT will be operating this route five times per week and thus ensuring the most convenient travel option not only to Poland but also providing seamless transfers to Central, Western and Eastern Europe. Delhi is now LOT’s 6th Asian destination.

LOT Polish Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Europe and Star Alliance Member has launched today regular flights between the two capitals. From now on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (B787-8 and B787-9) will be operating this route five times weekly according to the following schedule:

Summer schedule 12.09.19-26.10.19 (local times):
LO72      DEL-WAW 11:15-15:45
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday

LO71      WAW-DEL 22:45-09:15 (+1)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

LOT will be the first carrier from Central and Eastern Europe to connect India with so many European cities, connecting the home town airports of Star Alliance member carriers: LOT Polish Airlines and Air India. The new route launch features excellent onward connectivity via Warsaw, starting from just 40 minutes transit time for example to London City Airport, Paris, Brussels, Krakow, Geneva, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Hanover, Oslo, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Berlin, Billund, Prague and Budapest.
12/09/19 Andre Orban/Aviation24.be

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Aviation scam: CBI arrests Deepak Talwar's close associate in FCRA violation case

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday said that the agency has arrested Yasmeen Kapoor, a close associate of aviation lobbyist Deepak Talwar, in connection with an alleged violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) case.

A senior CBI official close to the development told IANS, "We have arrested Yasmeen Kapoor today."

Yasmeen has been arrested in connection with the probe agency's investigation into a 2017 case of Foreign Contribution (regulation) Act, 2010, the official said.

The CBI had registered a case on November 16, 2017 on a complaint from Ministry of Home Affairs against New Delhi-based private firms Advantage lndia, Accordis Health Care Private Limited, and Deepak Talwar of Advantage lndia, Sunil Khandelwal and Raman Kapoor of Accordis Health Care Private Limited and other unknown people.

The CBI is probing alleged violations of the FCRA 2010, criminal conspiracy, forgery, making false statement before authority, use of forged documents, and attempt to cheat by the accused.
Earlier in July, Deepak Talwar was arrested by the CBI in connection with the aviation scam. According to the probe agency, Deepak Talwar, who was recently deported from Dubai, illegally engaged in liasoning/lobbying with politicians, ministers, other public servants and officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation for airlines such as Emirates, Air Arabia and Qatar Airways for securing undue benefits for them.
11/09/19 Minish Pandey/India Today

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Dubai airport worker held for stealing two mangoes

Dubai: A Dubai airport employee stole two mangoes from a cargo consignment to India, the Dubai Court of First Instance heard on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Indian worker claimed that he was thirsty and was searching for water when he opened a fruit box and found two mangoes which he consumed.

He was charged with stealing the fruits worth Dh6.

Records confirmed that he ate the fruits in August 2017, but didn’t mention why he was only referred to the court in 2019.

The defendant confessed that he was working at Dubai Airport Terminal 3 to load passengers’ luggage on to the conveyor belt when the incident occurred.

“I wanted some water and I opened a fruit box and found the mangoes. I ate two mangoes and left. In April 2018, police summoned me and questioned me about the incident. They searched my home and didn’t find any stolen items,” said the defendant in records.

According to Dubai Public Prosecution, a security guard in the airport was checking the surveillance cameras when he saw the defendant open the bags of passengers of an India-bound flight.

If the defendant is found guilty, he may face a jail term, pay the amount of the stolen items and an equivalent fine.
12/09/19 Ali AL Shouk/Gulf News

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Synergy Group signs non-disclosure pact as first step in Jet Airways buyout bid

Mumbai: South American conglomerate the Synergy Group has signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the resolution professional of Jet Airways. This is the first formal step to acquire the Indian airline and is an indication that the company is a serious bidder for Jet’s assets. The Synergy Group is the first company to sign an NDA so far.
Signing an NDA is mandatory for any company to get access to the data room. A data room essentially has all the important documents related to the company on the block, including contracts for aircraft, agreements with vendors, information relating to employees and other financial data. Synergy will be given some time to examine the books of the airline as part of the due diligence. Once the company completes the exercise, it will place a financial bid for acquiring the assets.
The South American company had submitted an expression of interest (EoI) a fortnight ago to buy Jet. “the Resolution Professional of Jet Airways Ashish Chhawchharia of Grant Thornton had floated the NDA in the first week of September. Earlier this week, Synergy signed the NDA,” said a source.
Synergy owns a majority stake in Avianca Airlines, the second largest airline in South America. It also has a code-share partnership with Air India. However, Avianca is yet to deposit the mandatory access fee. According to a source, “In some cases, it is necessary for the potential bidder to submit the fee to get access to the data room. In situations like that of Jet, which has very few prospects, the lenders can waive off the deposit fee,” said a source.
The person added: “The fact that Synergy has signed the NDA itself is an indication that it is serious about bidding.”
11/09/19 Forum Gandhi/Business Line

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Russian bidder for Jet Airways may be disqualified

Efforts to revive the grounded Indian carrier Jet Airways has hit another air pocket, with one of the two bidders in the fray – Treasury RA Creator, a Russian investment fund –understood to have failed to deposit the mandatory deposit required to access the airline’s data.

Failure to deposit the mandatory deposit could lead to disqualification of the Russian investment fund, aviation industry sources said.

“Treasury RA Creator did not provide enough information about itself to Jet Airways’ Insolvency Resolution Professional (IRP) nor did it deposit the mandatory amount required to seek access to the airline’s data, making it ineligible to bid,” Mint reported, quoting undisclosed sources.
Treasury RA Creator - the Treasury of the Creator RA, the name according to its website -  is an international financial organisation designed to promote economic growth, expand trade and economic relations between countries and develop integration processes through investment activities, according to the information provided on the Russian fund’s website.

Aviation industry analysts said the bid by the South American conglomerate Synergy Group Corp – the other bidder for Jet Airways - did not seem to be serious as the company is yet to approach any company or investor group in India for forming a partnership.

As per India’s foreign direct investment (FDI) policy for the aviation sector, no foreign airline is allowed to hold more than 49 percent equity stake or have controlling right of any Indian carrier.
11/09/19  James Mathew/Arabian Business

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Air India's Boeing 777 aircraft to Toronto to sport images of tourism, environment

New Delhi: When Air India flies to Toronto later this month, the Boeing 777 aircraft's exterior will sport images with themes of Indian tourism and environment, according to airline officials.

Air India is set to start services from the national capital to Toronto in Canada from September 27.

The officials said that for the first time, an Air India plane would be wrapped with images of themes of Indian tourism and environment.

The airline would be operating a Boeing 777 aircraft to Toronto and the wrapping is being done for promoting tourism and for spreading a message about environment protection, they added.
Inside the aircraft also, Air India plans to have framed photographs of Indian tourism sites.

Apart from Toronto, the disinvestment-bound national carrier would be commencing flight to Nairobi in Kenya from November 26.

One of the officials said that around 160 posters depicting Indian heritage are being displayed on the partition walls of 16 Boeing 777s and 27 Boeing 787s.

These planes mostly fly on major international routes, the official added.
10/09/19 PTI/New Indian Express

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Expertspeak: 'Turbulence in insolvency process of Jet Airways'

The insolvency proceedings against Jet Airways in India and the Netherlands bring to fore the lacunae in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 to deal with cross-border insolvencies.
Read what Satvik Varma, a litigation counsel and corporate attorney based in Delhi, has to say about it >>>

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IndiGo to start daily flight on Amritsar-Sharjah route from Oct 1

Budget carrier IndiGo on Wednesday announced a daily flight on the Amritsar-Sharjah route from October 1 this year.
"This is IndiGo's second flight from Amritsar connecting a destination in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), after the launch of the flight to Dubai last year," the airline said in a statement.
IndiGo said with the launch of this flight, it will be the first airline to provide direct connectivity between Amritsar and Sharjah.
With around 47 per cent share in the domestic air passenger market, IndiGo is the largest airline in India. The flight will leave from Amritsar at 11.35 am and reach Sharjah at 1.35 pm (local time).
10/09/19 PTI/Economic Times

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First Rafale could be handed over to India in France on 8 October — the Air Force Day

New Delhi: The first Rafale fighter jet is likely to be handed over to India at a ceremony in France on 8 October, ThePrint has learnt.
The ceremony was to be held on 19 September but is learnt to have been postponed due to scheduling issues on the Indian side.
Incidentally, 8 October is celebrated as Air Force Day in India, and the day is coinciding with Dussehra this year.
Defence sources told ThePrint that while nothing has been communicated to France in writing about the change in plans, they have been told verbally that the event might get delayed.
“The dates for the defence minister are being worked out. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also travelling out around the same time, and hence, there is a scheduling issue. In all likelihood, the ceremony might happen in the first week of October,” a source said.
Sources said the Rafale handover ceremony would be held on 8 October. However, if the delivery takes place on that day, it won’t be possible for both the defence minister and the new IAF chief to be present at the ceremony, since Air Force Day celebrations will also be held in India on that day. Current Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa retires on 30 September.
10/09/19 Snehesh Alex Philip/Print

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Asia's airline bazaar will help peers fly higher

Hong Kong: Asia's hangars are full. At least six carriers are all or partly up for sale, from SriLankan Airlines to South Korea's Asiana. The region may be the biggest driver of new demand globally, but low-cost rivals have eaten into market share, and cooler demand has hurt too. Most will not find a buyer and deserve to shrink or close; the survivors will benefit.

The International Air Transport Association estimates passenger numbers will roughly double in the 20 years to 2037, with Asia accounting for more than half of all new travellers. Budget offerings will fuel much of that growth.

It's no accident that three of those for sale are state-controlled. Malaysia Airlines, SriLankan, Air India are indebted and loss-making, weighed down by inefficient fleets and years of government meddling. None successfully embraced budget travel. And even the sway is gone: Air India is number three at home. Flag carriers still have some lustre, perhaps for the likes of Singapore Airlines, which needs to compensate for its lack of a domestic market, or Japan Airlines, hoping for more US traffic.

But Sri Lanka illustrates the depth of the problems: Emirates bought a near 44 per cent stake in 1998, only to walk away a decade later after the relationship with Colombo soured. In 2017, prospective buyers, including private equity firm TPG, said potential returns were just too low. The situation has only worsened: Upstart Indian rivals are eating into profitable routes; April bomb attacks, meanwhile, have dragged tourist numbers to their lowest level since the end of the civil war.
11/09/19 Business Times

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Aviation woes abroad may keep Indians grounded

New Delhi: Indian travel operators and portals expect the British Airways strike and protests and shutdown of the Hong Kong airport last month to further put the brakes on outbound travel in the current quarter. They said India is likely to register a negative growth in outbound travel this year as the sector is yet to recover from the repercussions of the Jet Airways closure with fares remaining high for West-bound flights.
An executive at the national carrier Air India said fares for markets such as the UK, US, and the Gulf had started picking up soon after the closure of Jet Airways and have stayed the same since then.
“Flight fares to the UK have been up by 30%, and the US by 16%. Overall, Europe has been up by 12-15%, while the Gulf has been up by 20%. Fares have stayed the same way after picking up after the shutdown,” he said. Even fares to Australia have gone up by up to 10%, he said. An airline executive said all airlines were registering a double digit decline in bookings from India to Hong Kong.
The UN World Tourism Organisation had predicted India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020, up from 20 million by 2017.
“With the flight capacity out of India being very limited after the Jet Airways fiasco, airfares have become very high as a result of which outbound travel is lower this year. Fares are almost 30% higher than what they were at the same time last year. That’s largely bringing in the negative growth. Largely West-bound flights to Europe and the US are registering negative growth. When you book a holiday, a large component is the cost of the flight,” said Kapil Goswamy, MD, Bigbreaks.com.
11/09/19 Anumeha Chaturvedi/Economic Times

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Soon, flights to link Jaffna to Indian cities

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Authority is gearing up to operate commercial flights from the island’s northern city of Jaffna to select Indian cities. Preparations are on to commence flights from mid-October, according to officials.
Flights would run from Palaly airport in Jaffna Peninsula, to Kochi, Mumbai and New Delhi. “We are working according to the directive from the Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry,” a senior official from the Civil Aviation Authority told The Hindu.
A “technical team” from India is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka next week to study the facilities in the airport, according to Colombo-based official sources.
The development of the Palaly airport, some 20 km north of Jaffna town, has been on the cards for some years now. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has, on multiple occasions, spoken of proposals to upgrade the facility into an international airport, by expanding its current run way to accommodate large passenger aircrafts. An upgraded airport is expected to boost investment prospects in the war-battered Northern Province, in addition to facilitating greater trade activity.
Though possible grant assistance from India, for the “joint development” of the airport, was discussed in the past, no official agreement or document has so far been signed in this regard.
In September 2018, then Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala De Silva told Parliament that India had no role in the project, contradicting earlier messages that came out both from Colombo and New Delhi.
10/09/19 Meera Srinivasan/The Hindu

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Singapore Airlines, Silkair and Vistara to expand codesharing to international flights

Passengers traveling with Singapore Airlines (SIA), Silkair and Vistara will have more international flight options as the Singaporean flag carrier and its regional arm, Silkair, signed an agreement with Indian carrier Vistara to expand codesharing to international routes.

Under the expansion of an existing codeshare agreement which covers Indian domestic flights, SIA and Silkair will add nine new codeshare destinations within India on Vistara-operated flights. The following destinations will be added: Chandigarh, Dibrugarh, Jammu, Leh, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Siliguri and Srinagar. SIA will add its ‘SQ’ designator code to Vistara’s new international flights.

Vistara will add its ’UK’ designator code to SIA and Silkair-operated flights between Singapore and eight destinations in India, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. As part of the arrangement, Vistara will codeshare on services to more than 40 destinations from Singapore to Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and the US.
11/09/19 Casper Courier

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TAT & GoAir Organizes FAM Trip To Phuket

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, New Delhi (TAT), in collaboration with GoAir, hosted 10 travel agents from Tier II and Tier II cities on a trade FAM trip recently.

The focus was on a specific customer segment- Phuket as a family destination. The purpose of this trip was to acquaint the agents with services and offerings of GoAir and experience new and existing products of Phuket as a family destination and also meet the sellers of Phuket directly through a B2B networking event.

TAT Phuket welcomed all the FAM participants and 30 buyers from Phuket to the networking event with the stakeholders during the trip.
10/09/19 T3

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British Airways pilot strike to affect U.K.-bound Indian students

New Delhi: The total grounding of the British Airways for two days after its pilots went on a strike over pay dispute is likely to have a cascading affect on students planning to travel to the U.K. for the new academic season, say online travel agencies.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) struck work on Monday and Tuesday after nine-month long talks with the management had failed. Some media reports suggest the strike is due to end at midnight on Tuesday though there could be cancellations on Wednesday too.

The pilots are also scheduled to go on a strike on September 27 and the airline’s website says it has not been notified of any further disruptions by the union and the law requires trade unions to give 14 days notice before any industrial action which will allow them to communicate changes to customers.

In a statement on Tuesday, the airline reiterated that it was willing to talk to the union, which had resorted to industrial action for the first time in its 100-year history. “We are very sorry that the cynical action of the pilots’ union has left our customers and colleagues in this position and remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA,” its spokesperson said.

The uncertainty surrounding the airline’s operations that has 51 flights a week to five destinations in India is likely to adversely affect students joining universities in the U.K. for the fall season.
10/09/19 The Hindu

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