Air India Boeing 787 Bursts Tire While Departing Delhi

A tire on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India bound for Paris, France, burst during takeoff from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi, India, on Friday. The incident caused the crew to return to the airport.

The aircraft landed safely without further incident, and the airline worked to arrange a replacement plane. The flight eventually made it to Paris but arrived nearly eight hours past its original scheduled arrival time.

Flightradar24.com data indicates that the aircraft, VT-NAA, is a 787-8 and operated as Air India flight 143 (AI143) from Delhi to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). The plane departed on schedule at 12:55 and then took off from runway 28R at 13:22. According to a statement from an Air India spokesperson obtained by the Times of India, air traffic controllers (ATC) reportedly noticed debris on the runway after the aircraft departed and informed the pilots.

VT-NAA headed west and reached an altitude of 12,000 feet at approximately 13:28. Five minutes later, the aircraft entered a holding pattern and descended to 11,000 feet. The practice is also known as a scheme to kill time while in the air and can be instructed by ATC for various reasons.According to The Aviation Herald, AI143 entered a hold to dump fuel as the aircraft was too heavy to safely land. Approximately 28 minutes after VT-NAA started its holding course, the aircraft descended further to 9,000 feet. Then, a few minutes after 14:00, the crew exited the holding pattern and descended to 3,000 feet before lining up to land on runway 11.

31/07/2023 Channing Reid/Simple Flying

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DGCA gives in-principle nod to Air India, IndiGo to import 970 planes

Aviation regulator DGCA has given in-principle nod for Air India and IndiGo to import a total of 970 planes.

As part of their expansion plans, both carriers have placed huge aircraft orders. While Air India will acquire 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, IndiGo is to buy 500 planes from Airbus.

"Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted in-principle approval to Air India Ltd and Interglobe Aviation Ltd (IndiGo) for import of 470 and 500 aircraft, respectively," Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Air India will purchase 210 planes from the A320 neo family, 140 from the B737 family and 40 from the A350 family.

Besides, the carrier will buy 50 B737-8s, 20 B787-9s and 10 B777-9s.

IndiGo will acquire 500 aircraft from the A320 neo family.

In response to a query, Singh said the availability of parking slots is ensured at the time of grant of NOC (No Objection Certificate) for the actual import of aircraft.

"As per the induction plan of the airlines, the aircraft are proposed to be imported during the period 2023-2035. The airline operators have been advised by DGCA to share their induction plan with airport operators for ensuring the availability of parking slots," he added.

31/07/2023 PTI/Business Standard

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Air India Boeing 787 tire bursts after taking off from Delhi

An Air India Boeing 787-8 was forced to divert back to its origin airport after one of its tires burst during takeoff. 

The incident happened on July 28, 2023, when an Air India Boeing 787-8, registered as VT-NAA, was operating flight AI143 from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), India, to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), France. 

India’s ANI News reported that shortly after take-off, ATC informed the Boeing 787’s crew members that tire debris was spotted on the same runway it departed from. Subsequently, the Air India Boeing 787-8 circled around for more than 35 minutes above the ground before returning to its origin airport. 

An Air India spokesperson told ANI News that while the aircraft underwent checks at DEL, alternative travel arrangements were being planned. Flight AI143 eventually departed toward CDG at 9:09 PM local time (UTC +5:30) with another Air India Boeing 787-8, registered as VT-AND, operating the flight to the Parisian airport. Several hours prior, VT-AND completed flight AI307 from Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) to DEL. VT-AND landed at CDG at 2:05 AM local time (UTC +2). 

Meanwhile, VT-NAA remains on the ground at DEL at the time of writing. 

31/07/2023 Rytis Beresnevicius/Aerotime Hub

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Air India To Launch New Performance Management System For Ground Staff

Air India is reportedly in talks to launch a new performance management system for its non-flying staff next week. This marks the Tata Group’s carrier ambitious revival plan.

Addressing the staff, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said, “Rise.AI will frame defined job descriptions and specific performance goals for the staff to understand what is expected from them and what they should deliver.”

He underlined that a fair, transparent and completely digitised appraisal system will be developed accordingly.

Air India has taken over by the Tata Group in January 2022. Earlier this year, the airlines placed orders for 470 planes with Airbus and Boeing.

29/07/2023 Business World

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Air India Boeing 787 to New Delhi Returns to Melbourne

Air India flight AIC309 departed the Australian destination at 0902 AEST, and then around 90 minutes into the flight, the aircraft turned back around.

After around two and a half hours in the air, VT-ANK, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating the flight, then landed back in Melbourne.

As per data from Planespotters.net, VT-ANK is a 10.8-year-old aircraft at the time of writing, having been delivered to Air India.

At the time of writing, it is unclear what the cause of the return was, with no emergency squawk transmitted during this return, indicating that the problem onboard was well-controlled.

At the time of writing (0931 UK time), Air India flight AIC309 has been in the air for over four hours following its re-departure from Melbourne.

The aircraft is due to land in New Delhi in around six hours’ time.

AviationSource has approached Air India for a comment on the nature of the initial return, but at the time of writing, they have not responded to our queries on this.

30/07/2023 James Field/Aviation Source News

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Tatas should reimagine Air India’s mascot instead of retiring him

The Maharaja is reportedly about to be retired. But one hopes the Tata group would not be swayed by the narrative that the airline’s potbellied, beloved mascot with his curling moustache, aquiline nose and striped turban has outlived its utility as a brand mascot. The justification for getting rid of him has been that AI should shed the baggage of the past—the Maharaja is seen to be a symbol of that—and come forward in a brand new avatar. But that’s a wrong argument. Read why >>

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Alert ATC: Air India Paris-bound flight returns to Delhi safely after suspected tyre burst

New Delhi: Air India’s Delhi-Paris flight returned to Delhi Airport safely on Friday afternoon within an hour of take off following a suspected case of tyre burst.

Alert air traffic controllers (ATC) saw tyre debris on the runway from where the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had taken off at 1.22 pm as AI 143 with over 220 people on board. They alerted the pilots, who safely landed back in Delhi about an hour later.

An Air India spokesperson said: “Flight AI143 operating Delhi-Paris on July 28, 2023, air-returned shortly after take-off, following the Delhi ATC’s information to flight crew about suspected tyre debris sighted on the runway after departure.

The flight safely landed back at Delhi at 2.18 pm. While the aircraft undergoes necessary checks at Delhi, alternate arrangements are being planned for the passengers of AI143 to get to their destinations. We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers, but as always, safety of all on board is Air India’s foremost priority.”

28/07/2023 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Air India Plans To Start Flights To Los Angeles, Boston

New Delhi: Tata Group-owned Air India is planning to operate flights to more US cities, including Los Angeles, and is assessing various metrics, according to sources.

Currently, the airline operates non-stop flights to five American cities -- Washington, DC, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and San Francisco.

Los Angeles and Boston are among the cities being assessed as potential new destinations for long-haul flights from India, the sources told Press Trust of India.

At present, Air India has a code share partnership with United Airlines.

"We are planning to expand (our base) in the US and various cities are being assessed for potential new destinations. So, Boston is one of them, and Los Angeles too is among the cities that are being assessed," one of the sources said.

"We are weighing other metrics as well," the source added.

Starting a new destination entails examining a lot of factors, including fleet size, pilot strength and traffic volume on the route, according to aviation industry experts.

The source said current pilot strength, training of cabin crew and ground staff to be deployed at an airport at the new destination are among the factors that need to be considered.

A large number of Indian nationals or people of Indian-origin are living or working in the US, including students in various American universities. The US is also a tourism destination for many Indians.

27/07/2023 PTI/NDTV

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Orientalist, elitist and politically incorrect: Why Air India mascot Maharaja is retiring

After the Amul girl, Air India's Maharaja is perhaps the most popular and long-lived advertising icons of India. He carried on with his characteristic elan even when the airline struggled under mounting debt and numerous inefficiencies. Now it's time for him to step down. As the Tata Group embarks on a long-awaited revamp of the airline, the Maharaja will recede to the background, ET has reported. The airline is likely to continue using the Maharajah image for its airport lounges and premium classes but he will retire as the mascot.

Read why the retirement >>

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Pilots' body writes to ED seeking immediate redressal of roster-related grievances in Air India

The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) has written to the Executive Director of Air India, seeking immediate redressal of roster-related grievances. The letter highlights critical issues faced by pilots, including sleep cycle disruptions, violations of DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR), and unethical practices within the airline.

"It has been reported that day ops from roster section is calling our pilots in odd ours disturbing there sleep cycle which is gross violation of DGCA CAR," reads the letter.

The ICPA has also emphasized in the letter that forcing pilots to exceed their stipulated flying or duty hours poses serious safety risks and must be rectified immediately.

'Pilots are forced to give extension on flying time or duty time which is also violation of DGCA CAR pilots are threatened for giving extension or face the consequences which is unethical. Cases are also brought to notice flights are changed without informing after that they put blame on ours members which is also unethical," reads the letter.

When CNBC TV18 reached out to Air India, the airline did not give any comment on this issue. Air India has previously stated that the airline does not recognise any union.

26/07/2023 Daanish Anand/CNBC TV18

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Supreme Court Affirms NCDRC Order Directing Air India To Pay Rs 2.03 Lakh Compensation To Passenger For Baggage Loss

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with the order of the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) which upheld the order of the State Commission and District Forum directing Air India to pay a compensation of Rs2.03 lakh to a passenger who lost his luggage during travel. 

A division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Rajesh Bindal, dismissing the appeal filed by Air India against the order of the NCDRC, observed: “In the peculiar facts and circumstances of the present case, we are not inclined to interfere with the order impugned herein under Article 136 of the Constitution of India.” On 07-02-2023, the NCDRC had dismissed an appeal filed by Air India, and directed the airline to pay the balance 50% compensation out of the Rs2.03 lakh to the Complainant who lost his luggage. 

On an earlier occasion, the NCDRC had granted a stay and directed Air India to deposit 50% of the compensation awarded by the district forum, which was later upheld by the state forum. Since the carrier had already deposited 50% of the compensation amount, the NCDRC later directed payment of the balance amount to the complainant.

The Complainant Tushar Kothari had filed the complaint after he had lost one of his bags while travelling from Nagpur to Goa in an Air India flight. The district and state commissions ruled in favour of the complainant and directed Air India to compensate the passenger. The Complainant and his family members had purchased Air India tickets to attend a wedding ceremony in Goa, with a stopover in Mumbai, departing from Nagpur. 

The airline examined 16 bags belonging to Mr. Kothari and his family and issued boarding passes accordingly. However, upon reaching their destination, only 15 bags were received, as one bag had been misplaced during the journey. The airline could not locate the bag despite assuring the Complainant that they would search for it. Air India instead offered the Complainant a compensation of Rs3,600, which was calculated at the rate of Rs. 450 per kg for the missing bag. 

 26/07/2023 Sheryl Sebastian/Live Law

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Air India passengers stranded for over 10hrs due to delay on flight from Bengaluru to Mumbai

Passengers, including elderly individuals, had a distressing experience as an Air India flight bound for Mumbai from Bengaluru faced an unexpected 10-hour delay at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). Frustrated travelers were left waiting near the departure gates with no clear information about the cause of the delay, leading to growing unease.

Originally scheduled to depart on Sunday evening, flight AI 610 eventually left Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday. The airline crew allegedly detected a technical issue in the aircraft just moments before takeoff, but they failed to promptly communicate the situation to the passengers, resulting in confusion and chaos at the departure gates.

According to undisclosed sources, the initial technical problem with the aircraft was resolved, but due to the completion of the work shift for the staff in charge of the flight, there was a delay in providing updates to the passengers. Subsequently, the replacement staff also faced delays, exacerbating the situation and leaving passengers without any official information or assistance.

Air India attempted to alleviate the situation by accommodating some affected passengers on an alternate flight to Mumbai on Sunday night, while the remaining passengers were offered accommodation until the AI 610 flight was ready for boarding on Monday morning.

26/07/2023 Economic Times

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Air India bets big on cargo; to grow capacity 300% in 5 years

New Delhi: Air India is betting big on cargo space. AI’s firm order for 70 wide body aircraft will increase its annual cargo capacity by 300% to 2 million tonnes over the next five years with non-stop connection to key export markets globally.

The growth provided by increase in airline’s belly capacity will coincide with India’s growing global trade.

AI MD & CEO Campbell Wilson said: “At Air India, we see a huge potential in the air cargo industry, which the Indian government plans to grow to 10 million tonnes by 2030. Our cargo division is implementing a series of strategic measures aimed at fostering growth and strengthening our market presence. The large passenger belly capacity addition will be augmented with the launch of value-added products and services across the network.”

26/07/2023 Times of India

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Air India's iconic mascot 'Maharajah' may take a back seat amid rebranding: Report

Air India's iconic mascot, the Maharajah, may take a back seat and get a new role as the Tata Group embarks on a long-awaited revamp of the national carrier's brand, a media report said.

The airline is likely to continue using the Maharajah image for its airport lounges and premium classes but it won't be used as a mascot, The Economic Times reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The over 76-year-old Maharajah logo was designed back in 1946.

Furthermore, the airline will also get new livery that will feature red, white and purple, the report said. While red and white are Air India's colours, the purple will be derived from the livery of Vistara.

The Tata Group announced the consolidation of its airlines - Vistara and Air India. The transaction is estimated to be completed by March 2024. Tata Sons had acquired a 100 per cent stake in Air India on January 27, 2022, through its fully-owned subsidiary, Talace Private Limited.

London-based brand and design consultancy firm FutureBrand has been hired to redraw Air India's branding strategy, the ET report stated. The new branding is likely to be unveiled in August.

Earlier, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, had informed about the complete revamp of Air India.

26/07/2023 Business Today 

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‘Namaste.ai’! Air India’s new in-flight magazine features its Founder JRD Tata on cover- Take a look at its first issue

Air India on Tuesday announced the launch of its new in-flight magazine called ‘namaste.ai’. The magazine is now available on all the domestic and international Air India flights. It has replaced the bilingual magazine Shubh Yatra. 

The first issue of the magazine features JRD Tata, who is hailed as the Father of Indian Aviation, on its cover page. The 88-page magazine marks his birth anniversary. He founded the Air India airlines 90 years ago. JRD Tata was born on July 29, 1904.

This is the first issue to be released since Tata Group took over Air India after 69 years. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson wrote in the magazine, “A new Air India is taking off and we are eager for your feedback as we make progress.”

He further wrote that the magazine’s name comes from the “Indian greeting”, adding India is known for its “warm hospitality” besides being known as the land of diverse geographies, people and cultures. “Through namaste.ai, we will attempt to give our guests a glimpse of all that and more. We want to enhance our guests’ experience of flying with us even more pleasurable,” he added.

The magazine features travel destinations, lifestyle content, culinary arts, culture and showbiz, along with updates from Air India and the firm’s initiatives.

26/07/2023 Financial Express

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Air India launches programme to simplify purchased cabin upgrades

Air India on July 25 announced the introduction of Upgrade+, which will allow guests with eligible bookings to purchase instant, confirmed upgrades to the front cabins at fixed prices.

Upgrade+ enables Air India guests to opt for upgrades to premium cabins between 72 hours and 12 hours before a flight, subject to availability, the airline said in a press release.

As an alternative, passengers of Air India can purchase cabin upgrades when checking in at the airline's airport counters. With the introduction of Upgrade+, Air India has ended its "Bid Upgrade" programme, which allowed passengers with qualified reservations to bid for cabin upgrades and wait for upgrade decisions for up to four hours before to the departure of their flight.

With Upgrade+,  Air India guests will receive the benefits of the upgraded cabin, such as increased baggage allowance, priority check-in at dedicated counters, boarding and baggage  handling, on board amenities, and a delectable culinary experience. However, the fare conditions of the original booking will apply to upgraded bookings, including cancellation, rebooking fees, and accrual of Flying Returns miles.

For flights that the airline operates, passengers who have confirmed, Air India-issued booking documents are entitled to choose upgrades utilising Upgrade+. Either they would get an email inviting them to upgrade their reservations, or they could use the Upgrade+ website's widget to see if they qualified.

25/07/2023 Moneycontrol

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Three MPs, 100 passengers out to convince, but Air India pilot refused to budge; What happened at Rajkot airport

Rajkot: In a strange incident of flight cancellation at Rajkot airport, the Air India flight AI 404 which was supposed to fly for Delhi from Rajkot at 8 pm was cancelled as the chief pilot of this flight refused to fly as his duty hours were over.

The chief pilot refused to take the flight with over 100 passengers including Lok Sabha member from Rajkot Mohanbhai Kundaria, from Jamnagar Poonambane Madam and Rajya Sabha member – elected from Gujarat Kesridev Singh aboard.

The passengers were kept on board for three hours and many attempts were made to convince the pilot locally and even from Delhi, but the pilot was not ready to budge and finally the flight had to be cancelled. The flight may fly now today when pilot’s duty hours resume.

Rajkot MP Mohanbhai Kundaria said, for hours we were waiting for the flight to Delhi to take off. But the pilot of this flight was not ready to fly as his working hours were over. The Rajkot-Delhi flight was eventually declared canceled after three hours long efforts to convince the pilot.

Lok Sabha MP Poonamben Madam choose to go back to Jamnagar and fly to Delhi from there, while Mohanbhai Kundariya dropped his trip until the next flight from Rajkot. Rajya Sabha member – elected Kesridevsinh Jhala choose to travel to Ahmedabad to catch flight to Delhi.

Meanwhile, Air India Spokesperson has stated: AI404 operating between Rajkot and Delhi late evening on 23rd July 2023 was delayed due to operational reasons. Subsequently, the cockpit crew came under Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) regulations for which they could not operate the flight as per regulatory norms. FDTL regulation is nonnegotiable and cannot be compromised due to flight safety reasons. However, a few passengers who had to reach Delhi on an urgent basis were transported by road to Ahmedabad to take an Air India or codeshare flight to Delhi. The remaining passengers were offered hotel accommodation with all meals and their bookings were rescheduled as per their desire including a full refund against cancellation. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to passengers. 

24/07/2023 DeshGujarat

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Air India eyes 20% share in air cargo biz in 2-3 years

As part of its strategy, the airline plans to engage with companies in the telecom, electronics, and pharmaceutical industries that are key users of airlines to ferry products.

The airline is also working on sector-specific packages and looking at long-term arrangements with large companies. Air India’s market share in the international cargo space was about 8% in 2019. “There is a change of strategy in line with the expanding fleet of wide-body aircraft. The airline is looking to establish direct channels. Discussions are taking place with big exporters as well. Electronics is one sector where there is potential and preliminary talks have taken place with companies along with telecom and pharmaceuticals,” one of the officials aware of the development said on condition of anonymity.

The cargo capacity of the full-service carrier is set to get a boost as brand-new Airbus A350 aircraft joins the airline’s fleet by the end of the year. The airline, which currently has 124 aircraft, recently received approval from the Indian civil aviation regulator for its Rolls Royce-powered A350s and will now start preparing for the induction of the wide-body aircraft.

The airline plans to induct six new Airbus A350s, five leased Boeing B777-LR, and nine other Boeing B777-ER by the end of the current fiscal year, increasing its wide-body fleet by 30%.

“The airline has also implemented changes in the cargo handling processes and is preparing the infrastructure to manage sector-specific cargo as well. Equipment is being bought to cater to niche needs of a sector such as pharmaceuticals. Gradually, pharma is also a sector that can become significant for Air India in cargo,” a second executive said on condition of anonymity.

Air India is also working on increasing its market share in the domestic and international passenger space to 30% in the next five years.

24/07/2023 Share Price India

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Two airlines dominate India's growing market

Last month at the Paris Airshow, India’s budget airline IndiGo placed an order of 500 A320neo aircraft from Airbus, making the multibillion-dollar deal the largest by a single carrier in civil aviation history. Earlier in the year in February, the newly privatized Air India had placed an order of 470 narrow and widebody jets from both Boeing and Airbus.

The two airlines have a combined domestic market share of 81.3% in 2023 with IndiGo ferrying 56.2% of the country’s passengers and Air India flying 25.1%. While the former’s share in the country’s domestic market has steadily increased over the last 15 years, the latter’s share received a boost after the Tata group took control of it early last year.

State-run Air India’s domestic market share had consistently reduced over the years. It fell to 9.6% in 2021 from 17.3% in 2014. It was purchased in January 2022 by the Tata conglomerate, which was already running Vistara and AirAsia India at the time. Their domestic market shares in 2022 were 9.2% and 6.2%, respectively. In November last year, Air India announced a merger with both Vistara and AirAsia India. Taking Vistara and AirAsia India’s market shares into account, the Air India group airlines’ market share stands at 25% in 2023. Currently, the merger application is pending with the Competition Commission of India.

As many as 685 million people are expected to fly in India in 2042 compared to the 165 million in 2019, according to Airbus’s 20-year forecast released in June 2023. This makes India the third largest civil aviation market after China and the United States and one of the fastest growing ones. A Barclays report released in June shows that Indian carriers account for nearly 7% of the industry backlog of orders, the second largest in the world after the U.S.

In such a rapidly growing market, the presence of two large and established players could lead to price increases in the future. “​​India does look to move towards just two main players in the aviation space in future. While there remains a fear of a duopoly, the Air India group will take a while to consolidate,” Amey Joshi, an independent aviation analyst, told Reuters.

24/07/2023 Sumanta Sen/Reuters

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Air India's Ambitious Strategies Unveiled for Its Widebody Aircraft

In the coming months, the airline will welcome more widebody aircraft and also refurbish the interiors of almost one-third. It will also look to increase cargo due to its increased capacity. We'll look at these plans in more detail.

Air India will have a much larger widebody fleet by March 2024. As part of the deal it signed earlier this summer, Air India will receive six new Airbus A350 900 aircraft. The Indian aviation regulator DGCA recently issued the letter of type acceptance for the Rolls Royce-powered A350s. This opens the door for their induction into the airline’s fleet.

By the end of next year's financial year, the A350s will join five leased B777200LR aircraft and nine leased B777300ER planes to expand the carrier’s long-haul network by 30%. Vihaan.AI is Air India's massive program of transformation that began last year. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said.

"As you're all aware, this has been a critical focus of Vihaan.AI, so it's nice to see that the process is now well underway, and that there is light ahead."

Air India's widebody fleet will also play a key role in the cargo sector. According to a report published by Mint, the airline is looking to increase capacity with its widebody fleet in order to gain around 20% of the market share for cargo over the next two to three years. Mint quotes a source familiar with the development.

"There is a change of strategy in line with the expanding fleet of wide-body aircraft. The airline is looking to establish direct channels. Discussions are taking place with big exporters as well. Electronics is one sector where there is potential and preliminary talks have taken place with companies along with telecom and pharmaceuticals."

Air India, according to sources, has also made changes to its cargo handling process and is preparing the infrastructure for sector-specific cargo.

24/07/2023 Alma Simon/Travel Wires

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