Aviation

TEST:DGCA to conduct audit of GoFirst's preparedness before allowing flight

Aviation regulator DGCA will conduct an audit of Go First's preparedness before approving resumption of flights by the crisis-hit carrier, according to a communication

Indigo and Virgin Atlantic expand codeshare, open up new destinations

The expanded codeshare allows Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club members to reach their rewards faster, with opportunities to earn both Virgin Points and Tier Points available on every codeshare flight

India can play leading role in sustainable aviation fuel, says Aditya Ghosh

Akasa Air Co-Founder Aditya Ghosh on Monday said India can play a leading role with respect to sustainable aviation fuel by plugging into the global supply chain opportunities. Airlines and airports will be pushed to take sustainable measures, he said but added that currently, sustainable aviation fuel is much more expensive compared to the traditional fuel. Ghosh, an aviation industry veteran and former IndiGo chief, was speaking at the CAPA aviation summit in the national capital. There is a gap of around USD 350 million in terms of funding between traditional aviation fuel and 10 per cent blended fuel, he said. According to him, India can plug into the global supply chain opportunities in the context of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). India can play a leading role in solving the problems for the world, he added. In this context, blended fuel means 10 per cent of SAF blended with traditional fuel. The government is working on mandating blending of jet fuel with SAF as the coun

India to splurge $12 bn on airports in next two years as travel rebounds

The world's fastest-growing aviation market aims to boost the number of airports to 220 by 2025 from the current 148, for which private builders will invest about $9 billion

Cash-strapped Pakistan struggling to pay $290 mn to international airlines

The ongoing crisis has also hit the aviation industry where airlines sell tickets in local currency but repatriate dollars to pay for expenses such as fuel costs

Domestic aviation sector outlook stable; losses to reduce next fiscal: Icra

Rating agency Icra on Monday revised the outlook for the country's aviation sector to stable from negative, citing fast-paced recovery in the domestic air passenger traffic. The industry's loss in the current financial year is projected to be Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 3,000 crore and reduce to Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 crore in the next fiscal, it said in a report. While noting that the trend of passenger traffic is expected to continue in FY24, the agency said the industry has also witnessed improved pricing power, as reflected in the healthier yields and thus the revenue per available seat kilometre-cost per available seat kilometre spread of the airlines. "The same is expected to continue, given the sequential decline in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices from the peak of June 2022 and the anticipation of relatively stable foreign exchange rates," it said in the report. The outlook for the sector has been revised to stable from negative, Icra said, adding that domestic passenger traffic

CCS approves procurement of 70 basic trainer aircraft for Rs 6,828 cr

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft costing Rs 6,828 crore for the Indian Air Force. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years. "The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi has approved procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft at the cost of ?6,828.36 crores," Singh said on Twitter. The defence ministry said the HTT-40, produced by state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, is a turboprop aircraft designed to have good low-speed handling qualities and provide better training effectiveness. Singh said the procurement decision will open new opportunities for hundreds of MSMEs (Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and create thousands of jobs. "It is a significant step towards strengthening India's self-reliance in defence," he said. The HTT-40 con

Akasa Air completes 6 months of operations; flies over 1mn passengers

The airline has flown a total of 0.5 million passengers from the city, which contributes to 70 per cent of the total number of passengers flown across its network to date

Air India's premium avatar by mid-2024; Maharaja stays: CEO Wilson

Airline to speed up $400-mn cabin refurbishment, says CEO

Air India business class passenger shares video of insect in flight meal

Earlier, on the same day, two such complaints surfaced regarding Air India

SpiceJet restructures dues to Carlyle Aviation, to raise fresh capital

The airline will also transfer $65.5 million worth of compulsorily converted debentures of SpiceXpress and Logistics to Carlyle Aviation

Air India's order for 470 aircraft will be worth $70 billion: CEO Wilson

Campbell Wilson added that the process of integration of Vistara with Air India is underway and is now awaiting approval from regulatory bodies

SpiceJet approves slump sale of cargo biz, raising Rs 2,500 cr via QIB

SpiceJet has also decided to buy AS Air Lease in the settlement with aircraft lessor Castlelake

Amid record aircraft orders, aviation remains a long-term play: Analysts

A linear profit growth is unlikely for the Indian aviation players as high oil prices hit the industry every two-three years

Over 160,000 air travellers have taken benefit of Digi Yatra: Official

The implementation of Digi Yatra under phase I is also planned at Kolkata, Pune, Vijayawada, and Hyderabad airports by March 2023

Aviation regulator DGCA recommends measures to boost mental health of crew

The regulator is of the view that the pressures and stressors at workplace and personal life cannot be addressed through these professional skills, procedures or knowledge

Unruly air passenger behaviour incidents under control, says DGCA chief

Aviation regulator DGCA's chief Arun Kumar has said that incidents of unruly passenger behaviour onboard flights are under control and rules are now being strictly enforced unlike earlier, when the enforcement was not up to the desired level that led to some embarrassing incidents. In an interview to PTI, he also asserted that existing rules to deal with unruly air passengers are "sufficient" at this point of time. In recent times, there have been multiple cases of unruly air passenger behaviour, including incidents of a male passenger allegedly urinating on a female co-passenger and people found smoking in the lavatory of flights. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken strict action in these incidents and airlines concerned had also imposed a flying ban on the passengers concerned. Against this backdrop, the DGCA chief said that airlines are empowered to take action against passengers indulging in unruly behaviour in flights. "There should be order on board ..

India, Russia finalise protocol on cooperation in civil aviation sector

India and Russia on Friday formalised a protocol on cooperation in the civil aviation sector. In a tweet, the civil aviation ministry shared pictures of the meeting between the delegations from India and Russia as part of the ninth session of the India-Russia Sub-Group on Cooperation in Civil Aviation. "A delegation from Ministry of Civil Aviation lead by Secretary, CA met Russian delegation from Ministry of Transportation of the Russian Federation lead by Deputy Minister in Moscow on 17 February, 2023, and formalized a protocol on cooperation in the civil aviation sector," the ministry said. It also retweeted a tweet by the Indian Embassy in Russia that said fruitful discussions were held in Moscow as part of the session and that the meeting was chaired by Rajiv Bansal & Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Igor Chalik. Details about the protocol could not be immediately ascertained.

Akasa Air to place large plane order in 2023, eyes international growth

The new order will be for narrowbody planes, said Akasa's co-founder, a former chief executive of now-grounded, bankrupt full-service carrier Jet Airways

Lufthansa cancels 1,200 flights due to strikes at Frankfurt, Munich hubs

Lufthansa customers endured a summer of strikes and delays at Germany's biggest airports after labor unions pushed for better pay deals