'It is safe': Air India continues to fly over Russia to reach London

New Delhi: Amid the Ukraine war, Air India continues to fly from Delhi to London over Russia.

“We continue to operate our flights on the earlier route as the airspace is open and it is safe. It is not a ‘no fly zone’ so we consider it safe for flying across to Europe,” said sources in Air India.

The four airlines that are directly flying in the London-Delhi sector are Air-India, Vistara, British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic. 

The flight duration is the shortest at 9 hours for Air India, as the airline hasn’t changed its flight path. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata and SIA, takes 9 hours 20 minutes to reach London as it is not consciously flying over Russia. 

British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic are taking longer routes to avoid flying over Russia. Meanwhile, the fares in the Delhi-London sector have skyrocketed, partially due to more demand and lesser frequencies of flights and secondly due to the hike in the price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

The cost of ATF has risen by Rs 19,000 per kilolitre since January this year. Longer routes also mean spending more on ATF, and this has a bearing on the fare.

17/03/22 Yeshi Seli/New Indian Express

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After Tata takeover, Air India MRO stuck in stamp duty tangle

Nagpur: After Tata Group’s takeover of Air India, the erstwhile national carrier’s maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) depot in Mihan-SEZ is caught in a corporate imbroglio.

Prior to the takeover, a number of assets like the MRO were supposed to be transferred to Air India Asset Holding Limited (AIAHL), a special purpose vehicle. The transfer of assets of the MRO in Mihan are attracting a stamp duty of Rs32 crore, which has held up the matter.

Sources says even now, on paper, the MRO remains a part of Air India, which is a non-existent entity after takeover by Tatas. The matter has been taken up with the state government by the Union civil aviation secretary, said a source.

The MRO was run by Air India Engineering Services Limited (AISEL). After the takeover, all such assets categorized as non-core, including the MRO, will go to AIAHL. As this leads to transfer of land and building, this is attracting a stamp duty.

Moreover, the MRO is located on land leased out by Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC). So the change of hand will also need fresh registration by AIAHL with MADC. This again attracts stamp duty payable to the state government, said a source.

17/03/22 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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'It is safe': Air India continues to fly over Russia to reach London

New Delhi: Amid the Ukraine war, Air India continues to fly from Delhi to London over Russia.

“We continue to operate our flights on the earlier route as the airspace is open and it is safe. It is not a ‘no fly zone’ so we consider it safe for flying across to Europe,” said sources in Air India.

The four airlines that are directly flying in the London-Delhi sector are Air-India, Vistara, British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic. 

The flight duration is the shortest at 9 hours for Air India, as the airline hasn’t changed its flight path. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata and SIA, takes 9 hours 20 minutes to reach London as it is not consciously flying over Russia. 

British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic are taking longer routes to avoid flying over Russia. Meanwhile, the fares in the Delhi-London sector have skyrocketed, partially due to more demand and lesser frequencies of flights and secondly due to the hike in the price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

The cost of ATF has risen by Rs 19,000 per kilolitre since January this year. Longer routes also mean spending more on ATF, and this has a bearing on the fare.

17/03/22 Yeshi Seli/New Indian Express

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Air India to focus on select international routes, US airspace as Tatas revamp airline: Report

As international flights resume from March 27, the Tata Group is all set to revamp Air India with the early focus being select international routes, CNBC-TV18 reported.

Air India will also be expanding flight routes and adding destinations in the United States – a key area of interest at present as the Ukraine-Russia war affects several airlines, sources told CNBC.

Expanding new routes will help present a new experience, sources told CNBC, as the Tata Group looks to turn around the airline after taking over the loss-making company from the government after 69 years.

Airspaces over Ukraine and Russia have been affected due to the raging war between the countries, leading to airlines taking longer routes to reach destinations. This has increased fuel and operational costs. This has piqued the Tatas’ interest who are keen on starting more routes as United Airlines and others take a backseat.

Air India, however, is yet to finalise a CEO. Tata Sons chief N Chandrasekaran and a five-member core committee will be leading the operations till Air India gets a new CEO, CNBC reported quoting sources. Chandrasekaran was appointed Air India Chairman on Monday.

15/03/22 Moneycontrol.com

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Air India now fastest airline from Delhi to London and it's the Russia factor at play

New Delhi: Among the four airlines that are currently offering direct flights to London from Delhi, Air India’s flight duration is the shortest at nine hours. This is because they continue to fly on the earlier flight path, which crosses parts of Russia and Eastern Europe.

"We continue to operate our flights on the earlier route as the airspace is open. It is not a 'no fly zone' so it is safe," said a source from Air India.

Vistara, a joint venture between Tata and SIA, takes 9 hours 20 minutes to reach London from Delhi, as they are not flying over Russia. British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic are taking longer routes to avoid flying over Russia as a result of which it is taking longer to reach their destination.

While BA is taking close to 10 hours, Virgin Atlantic is taking around 10.35 hours to complete the journey.

15/03/22 Yeshi Seli/New Indian Express

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Privatised Air India sees 1st labour stir as govt co workers agitate

Mumbai: Privatised carrier Air India is currently in the midst of its first labour-strife as about 1,700 aircraft maintenance technicians working with a government-owned engineering company that handles maintenance and repair jobs for the airline went on an indefinite 'tools down agitation' on Tuesday.

Their demands include salary revision, employment contract renewal, and inclusion of dearness allowance.

The stir began at 9am. By evening, a few AI flights from Delhi, including to Mumbai, Surat and Pune, were delayed because of the agitation, said a technician, requesting anonymity. However, an AI spokesperson said there was no effect of the stir and flights are operating normally.

Flight status tracking apps showed the three flights were delayed by 30 minutes to two hours, but the reason for delay isn't cited. "Though aircraft maintenance engineers have stepped in to carry out jobs done by technicians, if the agitation continues, more flights could be hit," said a source. Among the jobs these technicians handle for AI are aircraft fuelling, readying the aircraft for departure, marshalling, and maintenance work.

The striking technicians are employed on a 'fixed term contract' with Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL), a government-owned company, which was formerly the engineering subsidiary of AI.

16/03/22 Times of India

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Tata Steel to approach Air India for feasibility of flights from Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur: The request to start Air India flight services from Jamshedpur made by Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has got a response from Tata Steel vice president (Corporate Services) Chanakya Chaudhary.

In a letter to the SCCI president Vijay Anand Moonka, Chaudhary said, “Since the airport at Jamshedpur is constrained by its size with limited runway length, there is a need to have a separate airport which can handle commercial aircraft, operated by the airlines. Towards this, the Union Government and State Government have jointly embarked on the Dhalbhumgarh Greenfield airport project, which is expected to further the cause of regional connectivity. We are hopeful that many airlines would start operations once this airport is made operational. We would in any case share your request with Air India for them to consider the feasibility of starting operations in Jamshedpur in case they have smaller aircrafts.”

Moonka had written to Tata Steel CEO and MD TV Narendran on 5th January last, requesting for Air India flights from the city to provide better air connectivity to city businessmen and people in general.

In the letter, Chaudhary also said, “You may recall that during the centenary celebrations of Tata Steel in 2007, we had obtained the approval from Government of India for operation of commercial flights from Jamshedpur airport. Some airlines like Deccan Airways, Kingfisher airlines etc had started operations but stopped due to techno economic feasibility and operations not being sustainable.”

16/03/22 Avenue Mail

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Tata Sons chairman Chandrasekaran takes pilot seat till Air India gets CEO

New Delhi: As Tata Sons chairman, N Chandrasekaran chairs the board of several group companies. But his appointment as Air India chairman, which was made public on Monday, is somewhat different. As chairman, he will steer the operation of the recently acquired airline until a chief executive is found, according to people in the know.

In a rare development, Chandra, as he’s popularly known, is likely to be named ‘accountable manager’ of Air India. Accountable manager has corporate authority for ensuring that all tasks of the airline are financed and carried out to the standard required by the stipulated law. Typically, an airline CEO is assigned that role. In that sense, Chandra would be the hands-on interim head of the airline till a suitable CEO is hired, sources said.

This follows a failed attempt by the Tata Group last month to appoint a CEO of Air India—within a fortnight of the announcement that former Turkish airline chief Ilker Ayci would head the airline, he declined the offer in the midst of a row over his links to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sources said that the government and aviation regulator DGCA had asked the new owners of Air India to appoint a position holder as accountable manager. The airline is currently being operated by a five-member committee.

It includes Nippun Aggarwal, a senior vice president of Tata Sons and four functional directors of the company.

“Both the government and the regulator wanted a senior level executive like a CEO or Chief Operating Officer (COO) to become accountable manager of the company,’’ said a person aware of the development. With Chandra being at the helm, the group would be able to send a message of confidence to the employees of Air India as well, he pointed out.

A Tata Sons spokesperson confirmed the appointment of Chandrasekaran as chairman of Air India. This will be the first time that Chandrasekaran will be heading a board of the group’s aviation ventures, in a sign of the growing importance of the sector for Tatas. Chandrasekaran is not part of the board of Tata’s other two airlines- Vistara and AirAsia India.

Sanjiv Mehta, CMD of FMCG giant Hindustan Unilver and Alice Vaidyan, former chairman and managing director of General Insurance Corporation of India, have been appointed non-executive independent directors.

15/03/22 Arindam Majumder/Business Standard

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Work without tools: Air India staff stage novel protest at Chennai airport

Chennai: Air Indian staff were engaged in a novel protest of working without using tools at the Chennai airport.

The airlines' staff complained of salary issues and lack of medical facilities. Condemning the carrier's "apathy" and to bring their woes to its authorities' notice, the engineering staff all over India have decided to work with bare hands with no tools for today.

Following the suit, 23 Air Indian employees at the Chennai airport after an hour's demonstration went back to work in this manner. However, incoming and outgoing Air India flights at the city's airport were on schedule.

15/03/22 DT Next

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Technicians servicing Air India flights go on strike, no effect on flights so far

Mumbai: About 1,700 aircraft maintenance technicians working with a company that handles maintenance and repair jobs for private carrier Air India have gone on an indefinite 'tools down agitation' strike, which began at 9 am on Tuesday.

Air India flights haven't been hit so far, engineers working the said company have stepped in, said sources.

But flights are likely to be affected if the strike pulls on for long, said a source, adding that the technicians employed with government-owned Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL) make up for about 60 % of its workforce. The ongoing 'tools down agitation' is privatized airline Air India's first experience with labor-related strife.

The said technicians, on fixed-term contract with AIESL, had earlier threatened a `tools down agitation’ across country in January and then again in February. Both the time, negotiations were on with the management in presence of labour commissioner and the agitation was postponed.

Among the jobs these technicians handle for Air India are aircraft fueling, readying the aircraft for departure, marshaling, maintenance work etc. Their demands include salary revision, employment contract renewal, inclusion of dearness allowance etc.

“We want salary based on `equal work, equal pay'. Our salaries should be on par with that of service engineers of Air India because our job profile, qualifications etc are the same,” said a technician, requesting anonymity.

15/03/22 Manju V/Times of India

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Air India plans to start Mumbai-Moscow direct flight too

New Delhi: Air India — the only airline with direct flights between India and Russia at the moment with a twice weekly Delhi-Moscow — is planning to start flights from Mumbai too. Russian carrier Aeroflot, which had twice-weekly Delhi-Moscow, has suspended all international flights possibly over fears that its aircraft may be repossessed in foreign lands by lessors who are mostly European. Given the significant demand of travel due to Russians stranded abroad, in India’s in case Goa, and regular business travel, AI is looking at a twice-weekly Mumbai-Moscow flight, said people in the know.

Some other Indian carriers are learnt to have toyed with the idea of starting flights to Moscow and they are yet to take a final call. While India and Russia have an air bubble agreement, India will from March 27, 2022, resume scheduled international flights to and from countries as per pre-pandemic bilateral agreements.

The final international schedule for this summer, that kicks off on March 27, will be known in coming days as both Indian and foreign airlines file the same with the DGCA. A senior official of an Indian airline said: “While most international destinations will again be connected to India, as of now there is still lack of clarity for flights to China, Oman, Bangladesh and Nepal as those countries are yet to relax their conditions for international arrivals. Other countries have done so. India does not ask for pre-departure RT-PCR report from arrivals who have been vaccinated in 89 countries and regions.

14/03/22 saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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N Chandrasekaran to resume Air India review today

New Delhi: In a sign of the priority the Tatas are giving to their latest acquisition — Air India, — group chairman N Chandrasekaran will personally review the Maharaja’s revival path over Monday and Tuesday at the airline’s HQ in Delhi. He is learnt to be taking detailed presentations from AI board members to finalise the roadmap, continuing from where he left off last week.

Outlining Tata’s vision for the airline they founded, Chandra has promised to make “AI the world class airline it deserves to be” and “absolutely best in class” in customer service, technology, fleet, network and “best possible hospitality both in flight and off flight.” All these will require a team of top notch experts.

But the formerly state-run airline’s wait to get an aviation veteran as CEO continues as former Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci recently “declined” the position of AI MD & CEO. A new CEO — who is likely be finalised shortly — with a proven track record in aviation is expected to put in place a team of professionals.

With regular international flights starting from March 27, people will again have the option of taking one-stops via nearby hubs to fly between India and rest of the world. The bubble system in place from March 23, 2020, will March 26, 2022, meant less flights by foreign airlines.

DGCA data shows that in the last pre-pandemic quarter, October-December 2019, Indian carriers accounted for 39.2% of international travel to and from India while foreign carriers’ share was 60.8%. AI (11.5%) and AI Express (7.3%) share was 18.8%. On a standalone basis, IndiGo had the highest international market share.

The latest pandemic time DGCA is for July-September 2021 when Indian carriers’ share rose to 48.1% and foreign carriers’ fell to 51.9%. AI (14.5%) and AI Express’ (11.8%) combined share in this period rose by 40% to 26.3%. And on a standalone basis, AI had the highest international market share.

13/03/22 Times of India

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Tata group to name Air India CEO in few days after Ilker Ayci says no

Mumbai: The Tata group is likely to announce a new chief executive officer for Air India in the next few days after its first pick, Turkey’s Ilker Ayci, refused the job due to controversy over his relationship with that country’s president.

“The name of the new CEO is being finalised. Since it is an important appointment and as a part of good corporate governance the appointment would be discussed with the board of Tata Sons. There is no decision yet but it will happen in a few days,” said a person familiar with the matter.

Tata Sons, the holding company of the group, did not comment. The group took over Air India from the government on January 27 and working on its revamp. While steps have been initiated to improve in-flight service and punctuality, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran aims to make Air India the most technologically advanced network carrier.

A five-member committee is overseeing the airline now. Tata group nominees too will be appointed on Air India board shortly and the government has already cleared their appointments. These include Chandrasekaran, HUL chairman Sanjiv Mehta and former chairman of General Insurance Corporation Alice Vaidyan.

The group has appointed Saurabh Agrawal, group Chief Financial Officer, and senior vice president Nipun Aggarwal on boards of Air India Express and AI SATS respectively.

09/03/22 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard

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Tata Sons all set to announce new CEO for Air India to replace Ilker Ayci

New Delhi: Tata Sons is expected to announce a new chief executive officer (CEO) for Air India in the next few days after its first choice Turkey’s Ilker Ayci declined the job amid controversies regarding his appointment.

Citing officials, ET reported that the Tata group has finalised the new appointee after holding talks in the last few days. The Mumbai-based coffee-to-cars conglomerate wants the airline’s new boss to take charge as soon as possible and fix the operational issues.

Last month, Tata Sons had announced the appointment of Ayci, former chairman of Turkish Airlines, as the CEO of Air India. He, however, turned down the role because of his previous political links. Ayci was supposed to assume office on April 1.

Earlier, Ayci was an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was the mayor of Istanbul in 1994. Erdogan, a close Pakistan ally, had he had made adverse remarks about the dilution of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Recruitment firm Egon Zhender had selected a couple of candidates for Air India’s corner office including that of Ilker Ayci. “The group went back to the list of other equally qualified candidates for a replacement to Ayci. They are keen on not wasting more time on the appointment. The board and chairman will be announced shortly after the CEO announcement,” an official with direct knowledge of the matter told the financial daily.

After the appointment of a CEO, the new board of Air India also will be announced, it is learnt.

Alex Cruz, a former British Airways CEO, has been rumoured to have been approached for the job. At present, there is no confirmation on the same.

09/03/22 ET Now

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Terrorist who hijacked Air India flight in 1999 killed in Pakistan

New Delhi: Zahoor Mistry alias Zahid Akhund, one of the terrorists who hijacked the Air India plane, IC-814, in 1999, has been killed in Karachi, Pakistan. He was reportedly killed in his house in an attack by two bike-borne assailants on March 1.

Zahoor was allegedly associated with terror outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad. He was hiding by posing as a businessman.

The two assailants were caught on CCTV camera but could not be identified as they were wearing masks. Sources said that both the bike riders carried out the hit after conducting recce in the area.

According to sources, Pakistani intelligence agency ISI was also caught off guard by the attack.

The hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight in 1999 was plotted to get terrorists — Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of defunct terror group Al Umar Mujahideen, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, and British-born al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh — released from Indian prisons.

The hijackers kept the 176 passengers of the IC-814 aircraft hostage for seven days. The flight took off from Kathmandu and was headed to Delhi but was hijacked and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

08/03/22 Arvind Ojha/India Today

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Bengaluru: Wheelchair-bound professor accuses Air India of denying boarding

Bengaluru: A professor with the Indian Statistical Institute has accused Air India of refusing to let him board a flight from Bengaluru to Kolkata over his battery-operated wheelchair. Kaushik Kumar Majumdar on Monday said that the pilot of the flight had asked him to disconnect the batteries of his wheelchair.

“I was asked to remove the batteries of the wheelchair and I tried to explain to them that the wheelchair was designed to be taken by air without removing the batteries. They are dry-lead acid sealed cells. While others were allowed to board the flight, I was denied. I felt humiliated. They made me wait for an hour and then refused to allow me to board the flight. Last year, I travelled from Kolkata to Bengaluru and there was no problem,” Majumdar said.

Majumdar said he had faced a similar issue with Air India when his battery-operated wheelchair was not allowed in a flight in 2017.

Denying ill-treatment, Air India, in a statement, said: “When he was asked to dismantle the batteries of his wheelchair conforming to DGR regulations, he could not remove the same and insisted on having the wheelchair with the batteries with him in the cabin flouting all rules clearly mentioned in our website. As there was no other alternative, the passenger had to be disembarked to adhere to safety requirements.”

08/03/22 Indian Express

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Soon, SpiceJet, A-I to resume Dharamsala flights

Palampur: Air India and SpiceJet will resume all flights on  the Delhi-Dharamsala circuit from  March 27. These were suspended two years ago because of Covid. 

Since the tourist season is about to begin and  Covid cases have come down, both airlines  have agreed to  resume the flights.

Official sources said  SpiceJet  and Air-India will operate two flights each between Delhi and Dharamsala daily,   while Air-India will also launch a flight to Dharamsala via Chandigarh and back  daily.

Besides,  in April,  IndoGo will also start one more flight between Dharamsala and Delhi. IndiGo will be the third airlines to operate from the Gaggal airport. With the number of flights increasing to six a day, airfares are likely to come down. Besides, it will also increase the tourist inflow to Kangra.

The Gaggal airport is the busiest airports of Himachal Pradesh. The airport strip is 1,372 metre. As only small planes can land here, the airfare is among the highest in the country. It touches Rs 21,000 for one-way trip from Dharamsala to Delhi in the peak season.  It is expected that with the addition of new flights in this circuit,  the airfare  will   also come down. 

07/03/22 Ravinder Sood/Tribune

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Meet Disha Mannur: Belagavi’s daughter-in-law flies Air India's Ukraine evacuation flight

Disha Mannur, a daughter-in-law of Belagavi, is being appreciated widely for her exemplary work in bringing Indians safely back from war-torn Ukraine.

Settled in New Delhi and working as a pilot for Air India, Disha was one of the five pilots who flew the AI-1947 flight from New Delhi to Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, on February 22 and evacuated 242 Indians.

Disha Mannur, née Gada, who hails from Bhuj in Gujarat, married Aditya Mannur, also a pilot, in 2015. 

Aditya is the son of Belagavi-based Padmaja Prahlad Mannur, an active member of the Goregaon Karnataka Sangha and now residing in Mumbai.

This is not the first time that Disha has been deputed on a major operation. During the Covid pandemic, the couple flew aircraft to Hong Kong, Paris and Singapore to bring medical oxygen and to the US to bring medicines.

Disha, who is in Mumbai for a two-day aviation-related training, said, “I feel great that I was chosen for this operation. I feel good about doing something for the country, students and their worried parents.  

“The other planes were landing at Bucharest and Budapest to evacuate the students. I got a chance to land the plane in Ukraine itself. There were only two planes at the airport. I was a bit scared, but the government of India had already held talks and we were sure that there would be no disturbance,” Disha said.

06/03/22 Sunil Patil/New Indian Express

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Due to fire warning, test flight returns

Mumbai: An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operating an engineering test flight, returned to Mumbai within an hour of take off following a fire warning on Saturday. A fire warning in the auxiliary power unit (APU) went off minutes after the aircraft departed Mumbai at 11.59 am, said a source.

An APU is a small engine, mounted on the tail cone of an aircraft to provide power for various functions such as starting power for main engines, air-conditioning cabin when aircraft is on ground etc. “The Mumbai to Mumbai flight, operated as part of routine maintenance, had only cockpit crew and engineering staff on board.,” said an official.

06/03/22 Times of India

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Aeroflot Delhi-Moscow flight to operate Sunday before likely suspension; AI flights on

New Delhi: Aeroflot will operate a Delhi-Moscow flight on Sunday (March 6) before this route gets suspended along with the Russian carrier’s all or most other international flights. Under the India-Russia air bubble, both Aeroflot and Air India operate twice-weekly flights between Moscow and Delhi.

“The Aeroflot aircraft that flew Moscow-Delhi will be flying back to Moscow on Sunday as a scheduled flight. Subsequent flights may get suspended like all or most other international routes of the airline,” say sources.

An Air India flight (AI 195) operated from Delhi to Moscow SVO airport on Saturday. “We have Delhi-Moscow flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We are operating this route,” said an AI official.

The Delhi route has been doing very well for Aeroflot. The airline, say sources, used its Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 on this sector.

“The occupancy was over 80-85%. Even business class was seeing good demand,” say sources. AI deploys its Boeing 787 Dreamliner on this route. The Maharaja still overflies Russian airspace on its highly popular US nonstops.

US carrier United has suspended its Delhi-San Francisco and Mumbai-Newark direct flights after the decision to stop overflying Russian airspace. United’s Delhi-Newark and Delhi-Chicago flights are on as they avoid the airspace. While AI may look at adding more US nonstops, Vistara is also considering the same.

05/03/22 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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