International Flights

Air India introduces Premium Economy experience on select int'l routes

The class will be initially available to customers travelling on select routes operated by its fleet of Boeing 777-200LR aircraft: Bengaluru-San Francisco, Mumbai-San Francisco, and Mumbai-New York

846 domestic, 458 international flights delayed at IGI airport in Dec-Jan

20 domestic departures, three international departures, 31 domestic arrivals and three international arrivals were cancelled at IGI Airport in December 2022 and January 2023

International flights in South Korea back to 60% of pre-Covid levels in Jan

The number of international flights in South Korea has returned to 60% of pre-Covid levels in January, helped by increased travel to Japan and Asian countries, the Transport Ministry said on Monday

Air India Express flight returns to Thiruvananthapuram after technical snag

An Air India Express flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Muscat, Oman returned shortly after take-off due to a technical glitch in its on-board computer system. The flight, IX 549, which took off from the state capital of Kerala at 8.30 AM returned to the international airport here at 9.17 AM after one of the pilots noticed the technical glitch. "All 105 passengers and the cabin crew are safe," an Air India Express spokesperson said. The airline is attempting to arrange another flight for the passengers and it's expected to take off from here at 1 PM, he said. All passengers are being well taken care of, he added.

Air India to launch 12 weekly flights to London Gatwick airport from March

Air India also operates three flights each from Amritsar and Delhi to Birmingham in the UK every week

India doesn't need to ban int'l flights, impose lockdown right now: Experts

India's present Covid scenario does not warrant restricting international flights or imposing a lockdown, but there is a need for strengthened surveillance and vigilance in view of the rise in cases in some countries, experts have said. They also said that a fresh outbreak of severe Covid cases and hospitalisation is unlikely as people in India have the advantage of 'hybrid immunity' i.e. natural immunity due to infection reinforced by vaccination. "Overall, there is no increase in Covid caseload and India currently is in a comfortable situation. Under present circumstances, there is no need to restrict international flights or impose a lockdown," Dr Randeep Guleria, a former AIIMS director, told PTI on Friday. Past experiences show that banning flights is not effective in halting the transmission of infection, he said. "Moreover, data suggests that the Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is driving the surge in China, has already been found in our country." Asked whether a lockdown .

No order issued by govt to stop flights to and from China: Report

Government sources said that there is no order issued by the central government to curb incoming flights from China where a wave of Covid cases has been reported

Sri Lanka to resume flights from Jaffna to Chennai after 3 yrs from Dec 12

Sri Lanka is set to resume flights from the northern Jaffna peninsula to Chennai from Monday, three years after the island nation discontinued the services due to Covid, a spokesman from the Sri Lankan Airport Authority said on Friday. "The commercial flight operations from Chennai International airport to Jaffna International airport will be back effective 12th December 2022," SLAA spokesperson Sumith de Silva told PTI. This will be a resumption of flights since they were stopped for Covid," de Silva said. India's Alliance Air would operate four flights a week between the two cities, said de Silva. Earlier, Sri Lanka's Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament that flights will be operational between Jaffna and Chennai by December 12. However, there are still some improvements left to be done to the runway. The present runway can only accommodate 75-seater aircraft. The airport in Palaly was named the Jaffna international airport as Sri Lanka's third internation

Air India leases 6 more planes to expand international flight operations

The 30 planes leased in September are expected to be inducted in the airline's fleet by 2023-end and the other 6 by June 2023

IndiGo, SpiceJet international flights diverted due to technical glitches

Failure in one of IndiGo aircraft's hydraulic systems, caution light indication in SpiceJet plane's cockpit cause diversion

Air India expands its US, Europe network with new non-stop flights

To operate new Mumbai-New York flights; resume flights to Copenhagen, Milan, Vienna from Delhi

IndiGo CarGo operates 1st international flight between Kolkata, Yangon

IndiGo CarGo operated its first international flight between Kolkata and Yangon, Myanmar

Govt scraps requirement to fill out Air Suvidha form for foreign arrivals

The government on Monday scrapped the requirement to fill out Air Suvidha form for people flying into India from foreign countries amid declining coronavirus cases. The revised guidelines for international arrivals will be effective from November 22, according to a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Earlier, the guidelines had required that passengers arriving in India from overseas should fill up the Air Suvidha form. The form was introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, the civil aviation ministry said the use of masks is not compulsory during air travel but passengers should preferably use them. As per the MoHFW's latest guidelines, air travellers should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination against COVID-19 in their country. On arrival, the passengers should ensure physical distancing and thermal screening of all the arriving international passengers will be done by

Air India to introduce premium economy class in some long haul flights: CEO

Air India will be introducing premium economy class in some of its long haul international flights next month, its chief Campbell Wilson said on Saturday as the Tata group-owned airline works on ways to expand its market share as well as the global network. In his speech at an event by the JRD Tata Memorial Trust here, Wilson said the airline will increase its market share to at least 30 per cent in domestic and international routes. The airline is implementing a long-term revival plan and over the next five years, it aims to grow its wide-body and narrow-body fleet as well as expand the global network. "The short-term actions have been to replace carpets, curtains, seat cushions and covers. To fix defective seats and inflight entertainment systems as fast as supply chains will allow. And where parts are no longer available in the market, to work with the likes of Tata Technologies to design and manufacture parts ourselves. "We've recently completely revamped the domestic inflight

Indians travelling to Saudi Arabia no longer need police clearance for visa

The Saudi embassy in India tweeted they have removed the visa requirement for police clearance certificate for Indians

China eases Zero-Covid policy, removes curbs on international flights

China has trimmed the quarantine time for inbound travellers and scrapped curbs on international flights, as it began to ease its stringent Zero-COVID policy. The new rules were announced following the first meeting of the newly elected seven-member Standing Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China, (CPC) headed by Xi Jinping here on Thursday. The Standing Committee is the highest policy-making and implementation body of the CPC. On the domestic front, China has adjusted quarantine requirements for close contacts of confirmed cases from seven days of centralised quarantine plus three days of health observation at home to five days of quarantine plus three days of observation. No "circuit breaker" on overseas inbound flights to China upon detecting positive cases on board, state-run Global Times tweeted on Friday. Under the circuit breaker policy, Chinese aviation officials arbitrarily suspend international flights for a prolonged period if any passengers tested positive fo

Direct flights between India, China should restart: Chinese envoy

Direct flights between India and China should start, and the governments of the two countries must work together on this, Chinese Consul General in Kolkata Zha Liyou said. Flight services between the two neighbours have been disrupted ever since coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan in late 2019, and subsequently spread across the world. The flight disruption posed a major challenge for hundreds of Indian students as well as families of Indians working in China and businessmen, though Beijing recently lifted the visa ban after about three years. "Direct air connectivity between India and China should start and both governments should work towards this. A number of Indian students are now keen to return to China," Liyou said at a press briefing on Wednesday evening. About 23,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine who were stranded back home due to China's COVID visa bans, made preparations to travel to China to rejoin their colleges but experienced difficulties due to the .

Vistara cancels 14 int'l flights due to delay in delivery of B787 aircraft

Vistara had bought six Dreamliners from Boeing in 2018 but has received only two from the American plane-maker

Virgin Atlantic pulls out of Hong Kong; cancels flights, closes offices

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. hasn't operated any passenger flights to Hong Kong since December, after the city banned all flights from the UK during the depths of Covid

Air India plans raising $1 bn; to start 20 weekly international flights

The carrier, controlled by India's oldest conglomerate Tata Group, is in discussions with potential investors including private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds, said the people