When Superstar Rajini-'Kabali'-kanth flew Air Asia

We all have said it infinite times before, but we don't mind saying it again -- "Rajinikanth is undoubtedly - The Superstar". Even before the film released, the Rajinikanth starrer 'Kabali' became one of the much talked-about films in recent times. And, the buzz around it still refuses to die down. The film, which hit the theatres on July 22, has broken all records. As they say, "When it's Rajini, one can always expect the unexpected".
This is also true with the way Rajinikanth movies are promoted, and his latest film 'Kabali' is a case in point. The promo of this latest blockbuster is airborne! Hang on...
Cashing in on the Rajni-mania and to promote the Superstar's latest movie, AirAsia has launched the campaign '#AirAsiaKabali'. AirAsia India devoted a special livery to the Superstar and his die-hard fans. The low-cost carrier unveiled its all new rebranded aircraft i5, with a livery dedicated to the movie 'Kabali' earlier this month.
Bearing the image of Rajinikanth from the movie, the aircraft has been painted and stickered with the livery at the GMR maintenance repair and overhaul facility in Hyderabad. The team of over 100 skilled workers worked round the clock for over 250 hours to complete the job.
The entire process of rebranding the aircraft with the movie's poster was filmed and was uploaded on AirAsia's Facebook page, 'The making of the Kabali livery'. Until now, the video has registered 5.4 million views and 1,91,000 likes.
According to Amar Abrol, CEO, AirAsia India, liveries are common with AirAsia. AirAsia India has dedicated a livery to JRD Tata who pioneered aviation in India.
"When we decided to be the official airline partner of 'Kabali', we thought why not go that extra mile and dedicate a plane to the stalwart of Indian cinema Rajinikanth? It made sense to do it with an aircraft that flies in India, so as to create maximum visibility among the Indian audience. Only a superstar like him (Rajinikanth) calls for a dedication of this sort," says Abrol, adding, "Never in the history of Indian cinema has this been done for any other star. This is AirAsia's way of paying tribute to the Thalaivar and his fans across the globe."
The aircraft, in its new 'Kabali' avatar, took off on its first flight on July 1, 2016. Ever since, the Kabali livery aircraft is flying across the AirAsia India network of 10 destinations spanning Bengaluru, New Delhi, Goa, Pune, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Vizag, and Kochi.

What's more, Rajnikanth fans were flown from Bengaluru to Chennai, to watch the movie! A total of 180 guests took the special flight i5 9227 from Bengaluru to Chennai in the early hours of July 22 to watch the film, amidst all the frenzy and celebrations in Chennai, along with the top brass from AirAsia India.
29/07/16 Sunit Roy/OOH News/afaq

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Domestic air traffic: How IndiGo, Jet Airways, Air India, Go Air, AirAsia India, Vistara performed in June

The Indian civil aviation sector continues to fly high, as is evident from yet another month of growth in passenger volumes in June. Domestic air carriers such as IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and Go Air flew 79.75 lakh passengers in June this year, a growth of 20 percent over 66.01 lakh who flew in June 2015.
However, on a sequential basis, the number of passenger flown decreased from 86.69 lakh in May.

The spurt in domestic air traffic comes even as the civil aviation sector is buzzing with relaxed foreign investment norms and a slew of passenger-friendly initiatives taken by the government.

IndiGo retained its position as the top carrier in terms of market share, which stood at 37.9 percent, slightly lower from 38.5 percent in May. In absolute terms, the carrier flew 30.23 lakh passengers, lower than 33.37 in May.
Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Go Air saw their market share rise  marginally in June when compared to the previous month.
Jet Airways witnessed an increase to 16.3 percent, while SpiceJet improved its market share to 12.7 percent. Go Air's share went up to 8.3 percent. State-run carrier Air India saw its share go down to 15.5 percent from 15.6 percent in May.
26/07/16 SV Krishnamachari/IB Times

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Now pay Rs.300 extra per kg for excess baggage on flights

Following the central government's directive to rationalise excess baggage, three domestic carriers namely Indigo, GoAir and AirAsia India have raised the excess baggage fee rate for passengers.
The three airlines will now charge Rs. 300/kg extra for carrying excess baggage over and above the 20kg baggage allowance, The Hindu reported. Earlier, these carriers were charging Rs. 250 per kg for extra baggage. Most of the domestic airlines allow passengers to carry 15-kg of check-in baggage free of cost. However, government-owned Air India however, allows passengers to check-in with 25 kgs.
"Passengers carrying more than 20 kg bags will have to bear the burden of those carrying less than 20 kg. The airlines have been forced to cross subsidise due to the government's regulation," Dr. Anurag Jain, an aviation consultant said.
At present most of the domestic airlines in India allow passengers to carry 15 kgs of check-in luggage and addition seven kgs as hand baggage (women can additionally carry a purse). Some of the airlines also offer passengers the choice of buying additional baggage, while booking their air tickets.
For example GoAir allows passengers to pre-book up to 10 kgs extra baggage (over and above the 15kg) by paying Rs. 2,000. However if the same passenger checked in 10 kgs extra at the check-in counter at the airport then the passenger would have shell out Rs. 3,000.
22/07/16 Kalyani Pandey/IBTimes

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All aboard the fan flight, with a special cover to boot

Chennai: The latest to join in the Kabali fever is the Department of Posts. For the first time, India Post is bringing out a “special carried cover” to mark the release of a movie.

The “carried cover” will travel on the first special aircraft that will fly fans from Bengaluru to Chennai on July 22, the day of the film’s release. The Karnataka Postal Circle and the Chennai City Region of the department have joined hands with Air Asia for the initiative.

The special covers, which are usually described as philatelists’ delight, from the Postmaster-General, Bengaluru, will be addressed to the Postmaster-General of the Chennai City Region. They will bear the postmarks of the Bengaluru and Chennai airport post offices.

On the “carried cover” concept, Mervin Alexander, Postmaster-General, Chennai City Region, said, “Whenever, a new flight is launched, some special covers are also transported on it and they have their own philatelic value. The Air Asia aircraft is the first cine flight in the country flying exclusively between Bengaluru and Chennai to help fans watch the first day, first show. That makes the carried covers more memorable.”
20/07/16 K. Lakshmi/The Hindu

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AirAsia to place up to 30 A321neo with leasing unit

AirAsia Group says it will place thirty of the 100 A321neo it ordered from Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) last week with leasing unit Asia Aviation Capital.

According to an official communique issued during the recent 2016 Farnborough International Airshow, the first of the order are scheduled begin arriving from 2019 onwards.

"We welcome the purchase of the A321neo by AirAsia," Asia Aviation Capital Principal Officer and Director, Rozman Omar, said. "The aircraft promises incredible economics and will help grow the leasing company as we continue to build our lease portfolio to AirAsia affiliates and third-party airlines."
19/07/16 ch-aviation

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AirAsia India, GoAir mull funding options as intl ops beckon

The board of AirAsia India (I5, Chennai) last month approved the issuance of INR2.34 billion (USD34.88 million) worth of new shares to its two key shareholders, Tata Group and Malaysia's AirAsia Group, a filing with the Indian Ministry of Corporate Affairs has shown.

The rights issue has yet to take place and will only do so once the LCC's board has increased its authorized share capital to INR5.5 billion (USD81.98 million).

Both entities currently hold a 49% stake in the airline with the remaining 2% held by Tata Group executives (and AirAsia India board members) Subramaniam Ramadorai and R. Venkataramanan.

The share increase comes on the back of New Delhi's decision to revise its 5/20 rule which governs an airline's eligibility to undertake international flights.

Whereas under previous conditions, an airline was required to have been in service for at least five years and operate at least twenty aircraft before applying for international traffic rights, the revised rule now states that any airline can commence international operations provided they allocate twenty aircraft or 20% of their total capacity (in terms of the average number of seats on all combined departures), whichever is higher, for domestic operations.

As such, AirAsia India is accelerating its fleet expansion plans aiming to operates ten A320-200s by the end of this year and twenty by the end of next year.

Rival carrier GoAir (G8, Mumbai Int'l) has also announced its own plans to increase its funding reserves ahead of the launch of international flights next year. According to the Business Standard newspaper, the LCC is planning to hold an IPO during the last quarter of the current calendar year with the aim of raising around INR10 billion (USD149 million).
18/07/16 ch-aviation

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Won't storm in like Vijay Mallya did, and get caught: AirAsia CEO on India growth plans

New Delhi: AirAsia group chief Tony Fernandes has said it is hard to do business in India due to protectionist policies and "vested interests", but his joint venture carrier AirAsia India was here for a long haul.
Defending the slow-paced growth of AirAsia India, he said the aviation sector here was a "double marathon" and not a "sprint".
"I am not going to storm in like a bull in China shop like Vijay Mallya did, and get caught. Now we have a (civil aviation) policy and the policy is very clear on what we have to do. So talk to us in a few years time," he said when asked about the growth plans for his airlines.
Observing that the BJP-led government has "at least delivered 80 per cent of what it talked about" in the draft aviation policy, the AirAsia chief said "it is hard (to do business) in India (as) there are so many vested interest who were trying to keep some of the incumbents happy."
"So at least they changed it (norm for international flying by domestic carriers) and we are clear what we need to do. And I would not be dead by the time 5 years come along with 20 aircraft we had before," the AirAsia (Berhad) Group Chief Executive Officer said on the sidelines of the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK last week.
Fernandes, who is also among the pioneers of the low-cost airline model in Asia, minced no words in criticising the Indian Government for "protectionism in the skies" while at the same time heaping praise on the new civil aviation policy, particularly the doing away of the 5/20 norm.
17/07/16 PTI/Times of India

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Hard to do business in India, but will remain here: AirAsia CEO

New Delhi: AirAsia group chief Tony Fernandes has said it was hard to do business in India due to protectionist policies and "vested interests", but his joint venture carrier AirAsia India was here for a long haul.

Defending the slow-paced growth of AirAsia India, he said the aviation sector here was a "double marathon" and not a "sprint".

"I am not going to storm in like a bull in China shop like Vijay Mallya did, and get caught. Now we have a (civil aviation) policy and the the policy is very clear on what we have to do. So talk to us in a few years time," he told PTI when asked about the growth plans for his airlines.

Observing that the BJP-led government has "at least delivered 80 per cent of what it talked about" in the draft aviation policy, the AirAsia chief said "it is hard (to do business) in India (as) there are so many vested interest who were trying to keep some of the incumbents happy."

"So at least they changed it (norm for international flying by domestic carriers) and we are clear what we need to do. And I would not be dead by the time 5 years come along with 20 aircraft we had before," the AirAsia (Berhad) Group Chief Executive Officer told PTI on the sidelines of the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK last week.
17/07/16 PTI/Economic Times

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Promoters to invest Rs 234 cr in AirAsia India business

Mumbai:  The promoters of AirAsia India will infuse Rs 234 crore in the airline as it plans to grow its domestic footprint and prepares for foreign flights.

On June 14, the airline’s board approved the issue of fresh shares valuing Rs 234 crore to its two main owners — Tata Sons and AirAsia Malaysia — on a rights basis, company filings with the corporate affairs ministry show.

A day later, the Union Cabinet approved the civil aviation policy amending the controversial 5/20 norm on foreign operations by Indian carriers. AirAsia will benefit from the amendment as it does not have to wait for five years to launch foreign flight.

The fresh fund infusion is yet to take place and is subject to the board increasing the authorised share capital of the company to Rs 550 crore and receipt of other approvals.

Authorised share capital indicates the maximum amount a company can raise through the issue of shares.

AirAsia India did not respond to a query on the topic.

AirAsia India has six Airbus A320 aircraft at present and the management hopes to increase its fleet to 10 by 2016-end and 20 by 2017-end. It has a market share of 2.2 per cent and operates 40 daily flights from its bases in Bengaluru and Delhi.

AirAsia India is co-owned by Tata Sons (49 per cent) and AirAsia Malaysia (49 per cent). The remaining two per cent is held by Tata group veterans and airline's board members S Ramadorai and R Venkataramanan.
16/07/16 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Dreams take flight

Bengaluru: If Kalaipuli Thanu had been a character in an Asterix comic he’d have been called Magnum Opus. He neither thinks nor plans anything small. When four sheet posters were in vogue, massive 24 sheet posters adorned the walls of his first production ‘Yaar’ (1985) in which Rajinikanth appeared fleetingly. He started the trend of announcing the ‘muhurtham’ of a film with hoardings. The invitation for the ‘muhurtham’ of ‘Kandasamy’ was a video screen, featuring the trailer of the film. Thanu has always nursed the ambition of producing a Rajini starrer. I remember in the late eighties he told me that he would drop pamphlets from a helicopter if Rajini agreed to do a film for him. “I’m surprised you still remember,” he says with a wistful smile. He has waited patiently from the time he gave Rajini the moniker ‘Superstar’ and feels it’s been worth it. Today, AirAsia aircrafts with his name boldly emblazoned alongside the superstar’s advertising the much awaited ‘Kabali’ are soaring in the skies.

“I’d have loved to say it was my brainchild,” says Amar Abrol, when I quiz him about the genesis of this very visible association. Amar recently moved to Bangalore from Malaysia as CEO to oversee the domestic operations of Air Asia. “The sequence of events started with the script of the film demanding an airline to be part of the film. The idea was tossed around amongst our offices and landed in mine. We thought it was a brilliant idea, being associated with the superstar himself. The idea was developed further and has reached thus far. Personally it’s a coup d’etat.” Usually airlines get a mention in the credits for ferrying the cast and crew to distant destinations at a hefty discount but this is an advertising masterstroke. It’s the first of its kind for the Indian film industry.

“Absolutely,” agrees Amar. “It was done in New Zealand featuring ‘Lord Of The Rings’ by another airline. We as a team have done it for QPR our football team and ‘The Apprentice’ show which our CEO Tony hosted. This is the first time in India and there’s no better way to start.” Amar feels it’s a win-win situation for the film and the airline. It’s also the best way to be endorsed by Rajini indirectly, since he personally doesn’t plug any product. “There’s no other Indian star who has fans not only in India but across Asia. In Malaysia it’s huge. The plane is already travelling the domestic circuit like Delhi Goa and Vizag. There’re photos and videos being posted on social media. The idea is to fly in a Rajini powered aircraft. It’s paying massive dividends. This is huge for AirAsia.”
14/07/16 S. Shivakumar/The Hindu

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'We are excited about India', says AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes

Farnborough: AirAsia is excited about India and is looking to accelerate there even though it is a tough market, the budget airline's chief Tony Fernandes said on Tuesday.

The Malaysian no-frills carrier along with Tatas own the Indian joint venture AirAsia India, which started operations in 2014. Speaking to reporters at the international airshow here, Fernandes said AirAsia is excited about the Indian market. "We are excited about India. It is a tough market... We are looking to accelerate (in India)," the AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer said.
AirAsia holds 49 per cent stake in budget airline AirAsia India, which currently has a fleet of six aircraft. About the Indian government's decision to do away with the 5/20 international flying norm for local carrier, Fernandes said, "With the change in rule, now we don't have to wait for five years and 20 aircraft fleet (to fly overseas)".

Last month, the government scrapped the controversial 5/20 norm and now any domestic airline can fly overseas provided they deploy 20 planes or 20 per cent of their total capacity for domestic operations.
13/07/16 PTI/DNA

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20 per cent discount on all AirAsia & AirAsia X flights

Kuala Lumpur: AirAsia and AirAsia X are offering a 20 per cent discount on all flights to over 120 destinations in 24 countries. In a statement, AirAsia and AirAsia X Group said the special promo will run from July 11-17 for immediate travel from July 18-Nov 24, 2016. This promo is applicable for all AirAsia and AirAsia X flights with flight codes AK (AirAsia Malaysia), D7 (Malaysia AirAsia X), FD (AirAsia Thailand), XJ (Thai AirAsia X), QZ (AirAsia Indonesia) international flights, Z2 (AirAsia Philippines) and I5 (AirAsia India). Group Chief Commercial Officer of AirAsia,Siegtraund Teh said the offer is on all seats across all flights, including newly launched routes such as from Johor Baharu to Guangzhou and Hatyai or even from Kuala Lumpur to Delhi and Mauritius.
10/07/16 Bernama/New Straits Times

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AirAsia India expands services to Guwahati

New Delhi: Domestic budget carrier AirAsia India today announced the expansion of its services to Guwahati from the national capital with the addition of a new flight on the route from July 17.

With this addition, AirAsia India will now operate 40 daily flights connecting 10 destinations across India.

Effective July 17, AirAsia India will operate a third direct flight connecting the two destinations --New Delhi and Guwahait, the airline said in a statement.
08/07/16 PTI/Business Standard

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FDI in aviation: How Vistara, Air Asia India, Jet are affected

New Delhi: The government has clarified that the notification related to foreign direct investment (FDI) in aviation doesn’t impose restriction of management control with Indians in airlines where majority stake is vested with a foreign entity.
However, existing airlines like Vistara, AirAsia India, Jet-Etihad and any future carriers with majority stake held by Indian entities will have to ensure that the substantial ownership and effective control (SOEC) rests with Indian nationals.
The clarification from the civil aviation ministry came after the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) notified the changes in FDI policy in the sector, but maintained that no other changes in conditions had been made.
This meant that despite a foreign entity holding 100% stake in an airline, it would have to ensure that SOEC rested with Indian nationals.
However, speaking to FE, RN Choubey put the record straight, saying: “Foreign airlines will not control domestic airlines in case the majority is owned by domestic player.” He added that in case a foreign entity owns a majority stake in an airline, it will not be required to abide by ownership and control structure that requires it to be vested with Indian citizens.
06/07/16  Sumit Jha/Bilal Abdi/Financial Express

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Airasia India Delhi flight delayed after tyre damage

Bengaluru: An AirAsia India aircraft's tyre was damaged at the parking bay after arrival at the airport here from New Delhi today, causing delay in the return flight.

"AirAsia India flight i5 725 from New Delhi toBengaluru encountered a tyre damage at the parking bay afterarrival at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB),"the airline said.

The airline's Engineering and Safety teams have reviewed the damage and rectified the defect after athorough inspection, AirAsia said.

Subsequently, AirAsia India flight i5 726 from Bengaluru to New Delhi departed at 12.44 PM from here, it said.

The airline's ground staff had notified all guests at the boarding gate about the delay, it said.

"Safety and security of our guests and crew members is of utmost importance to us at AirAsia as a group. The airline will put its best foot forward in providing safety, comfort and convenience to all its guests," it added.

According to the schedule on the airline's website, the flight was to leave at 9.10 AM.
04/07/16 PTI/Business Standard

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Rajinikanth starrer Kabali airline took over a month to design

Chennai: AirAsia India, the official airline partner of superstar Rajinikanth’s Tamil actioner Kabali and which has a special aircraft bearing the images of the star, spent over a month in designing the livery.
“It was the work of one person. The whole designing process took over a month and it had to be done with precision as it’s a first-of-its-kind attempt in Asia. Although it’s a regular passenger aircraft, our association with the film has made everything special,” company spokesperson told IANS.
The re-branded Airbus A-320 with livery dedicated to Pa. Ranjith-directed “Kabali”, beggan its operations on Friday spanning Bengaluru, New Delhi, Goa, Pune, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Guwahati, Imphal, Vizag and Kochi.
“It will continue to fly even after the release of the film. It’s our way of paying tribute to our superstar and all his fans from across the globe,” the spokesperson said.
01/07/16 IANS/Indian Express

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