Page 4 - Aviation

Go First inducts 55th A320 neo; to receive engines from P&W soon

Go First, which is facing multiple headwinds, has received an additional Rs 400 crore under a government scheme and expects to operate more planes once it gets 16 new P&W engines in the coming weeks, according to officials. The no-frills carrier has at least 25 planes on the ground, mainly due to the non-availability of Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines that power its A320 fleet. With many aircraft remaining non-operational, the airline is also grappling with flight delays and rescheduling of departure timings. Further, its On-Time Performance (OTP) has taken a beating. A government official said the airline availed an additional Rs 400 crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) this month. Go First, which can take up to Rs 1,500 crore under the scheme, has so far availed at least a total of Rs 800 crore. A Go First spokesperson said that 25-26 planes are on the ground and currently, 32 aircraft are operational. The airline is in active discussions with ...

Single-pilot operations only after thorough investigation, EASA says

European Aviation Safety Agency's proposal draws flak from pilots who say it is too risky

Year-end fares go through the roof as airlines fly on low capacity

More than 75 planes are grounded; Goa to see 11% fewer flights in December

DGCA asks SpiceJet to get engine oil samples of entire Q400 fleet examined

Following a recent incident of smoke in a SpiceJet plane cabin, the aviation regulator DGCA has directed the airline to send the engine oil samples of the entire Q400 fleet consisting of 14 operational aircraft to Pratt & Whitney Canada to ascertain the presence of metal and carbon seat particles.

Financial status of Indian airlines likely to remain under pressure: ICRA

The financial performance of Indian airlines is likely to remain under pressure in the near term, even as recovery in domestic passenger traffic has been healthy, said Corporate Rating firm ICRA

Akasa Air performance 'satisfying' in first 60 days; well capitalised: CEO

The country's new scheduled airline Akasa Air is "well capitalised" and will allow carrying of domesticated dogs and cats onboard along with passengers from November, according to its senior executives. The airline, which began operations on August 7, also plans to launch international operations in the second half of next year. Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube said the airline is well capitalised and is not looking to have new investors. Dube said the airline's performance in the 60 days since starting operations has been "satisfying". "We are very happy, satisfied with... our performance," he said. Currently, it has a fleet of six planes and the number is expected to touch 18 by March next year. Akasa Air, which currently has 30 daily flights, will start services from Delhi on Friday. The airline will be allowing carrying of pets in cabin and cargo from November. Domesticated dogs and cats can travel from November and the bookings in this regard will start from October 15, Co-Founder

Akasa Air to allow pets in cabin, cargo from Nov; to expand routes

Akasa Air, which took to the skies two months ago, will allow domesticated dogs and cats in cabin as well as cargo from November and will also be starting new routes in the coming weeks. The airline, which is "well capitalised", plans to start international services in the second half of 2023 once it has a fleet of 20 planes. Currently, the carrier has 6 aircraft and will have a total of 18 planes by the end of March next year. Akasa Air Founder and CEO Vinay Dube on Thursday said the airline's performance has been "satisfying" in the first 60 days. "We are very happy, satisfied with... our performance". Currently, the carrier has 30 daily flights, will start services from Delhi on Friday. It started operations on August 7. The airline is progressively expanding its network and connecting more cities, its Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer Praveen Iyer said. From November, domesticated dogs and cats can travel. The bookings in this regard will start from October 15, its ...

Airlines face difficulty in operating at full capacity amid low demand

The travel sentiment was impacted by several waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, people postponed travel plans to protect their savings. In this, high travel fares impacted the demand negatively

Recovery tracker: Vehicle registrations in latest week up 15% over 2019

Better aviation traffic in seven days to Oct 2, freight numbers improve

Indian airlines revamp their in-flight menus amid intense competition

Air India latest carrier to update menu, but others have tweaked their offerings too

Fly Blade to get Airbus helicopter; plans expanding services to 10 states

Urban air mobility company Fly Blade India P. Ltd. is likely to get one H125 helicopter from Airbus this October/November, said a top company official

ICAO calls on aviation regulators to productively engage with innovators

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) called on aviation regulators to operate in creative ways to productively engage with innovators, according to a statement issued by the UN agency

Race for net-zero emissions: Indian airlines take off on sustainable fuel

GREEN DEAL: Air India, AirAsia India, Vistara ink MoU with CSIR-IIP for sustainable aviation fuel

The real reason to turn on aeroplane mode when you fly is frequency band

Here's the real reason to turn on aeroplane mode when you fly

Recovery tracker: Lower mobility, power generation in week ended Sept 14

Railway freight traffic numbers were higher than before

Five-year transformation goal: Air India eyes 30% domestic share

Air India, as it operates wide-body planes with bigger fuel tanks, is the market leader on long international routes that reach as far as the US

Domestic air passenger traffic rose 5% to 10.2 mn in August: ICRA

Domestic air passenger traffic rose 5 per cent to 1.02 crore in August and a fast-paced recovery in the traffic is expected this fiscal on the back of normalcy in flight operations and widening vaccination coverage, according to rating agency Icra. Releasing the monthly domestic air passenger traffic data for August on Thursday, Icra further said that international traffic for Indian carriers surpassed the pre-COVID level of around 19.8 lakh by 32 per cent. "The domestic aviation industry continues to witness recovery, with domestic passenger traffic for August 2022 estimated at around 102 lakh, around 5 per cent higher compared to around 97 lakh in July 2022 and around 52 per cent higher in comparison to the domestic passenger traffic in August 2021, although it fell short by around 14 per cent, compared to pre-COVID levels i.e. August 2019," Icra's Suprio Banerjee said. Banerjee is the Vice President & Sector Head - Corporate Ratings at Icra Ltd. In the first five months of this

SpiceJet appoints Ashish Kumar as CFO, effective from September 9

Budget carrier SpiceJet on Friday said it has appointed Ashish Kumar as its Chief Financial Officer. Kumar's appointment for the post is effective from September 9, SpiceJet said in a statement. Kumar succeeds Sanjeev Taneja, who quit the struggling carrier on August 31. Before joining the Gurugram-based low-cost airline, Kumar was serving as vice president for corporate finance at Interglobe Enterprises since January 2019, SpiceJet said. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer at Interglobe Hotels for five years from 2014 to 2018, as per the statement. Facing a liquidity crunch, SpiceJet reported a loss of Rs 784 crore for the quarter that ended June 30, compared to a loss of Rs 731 crore a year earlier. The company had also reported a loss of Rs 485 crore for the quarter ended March. "Restructuring SpiceJet and putting it back on a path of rapid growth is the best job in the aviation industry today. Ashish's experience and proven track record will ensure that he can .

IndiGo's new CEO Pieter Elbers takes over, eyes 'new frontiers'

Known for his decisiveness, new chief will have his task cut out as domestic competition heats up

Mumbai-bound flight grounded after take-off in Bhopal due to technical snag

A Mumbai-bound IndiGo flight from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh was grounded after take-off on Monday due to a technical snag, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said here. The flight returned to Bhopal's Raja Bhoj International Airport after take-off due to the snag in the morning, he said. It was carrying 183 passengers, 117 of whom were adjusted in another aircraft in the evening by cancelling a Delhi-bound flight, the official informed. "The remaining passengers were adjusted on other flights and also by arranging accommodation," he added.