Aneesh Phadnis And Subrata Panda

Stories by Aneesh Phadnis And Subrata Panda

A P&W story: From giving wings to aviation in India to Go First grounding

A P&W story: From giving wings to aviation in India to Go First grounding

Rediff.com   9 May 2023

Its association with India is over 70 years old and spans both civil and military aviation. The Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft used by the air force beginning the 1940s and the iconic Boeing 747 aircraft flown by Air India, both had Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines. The Indian Air Force's present-day, heavy-lift C-17 Globemaster III and the yet-to-be-inducted C-295 planes, too, have P&W power plants.

Jet Airways Revival Hope Diminishes

Jet Airways Revival Hope Diminishes

Rediff.com   8 May 2023

Jet's air operator certificate will lapse on May 19.

'Tough times': Go First staff hopes for airline survival, scout for options

'Tough times': Go First staff hopes for airline survival, scout for options

Rediff.com   4 May 2023

Employees of Go First, which has filed for bankruptcy, hope that the airline will fly out of the crisis with government support but some are already scouting for work. Some Go First pilots have joined airlines in West Asia in recent weeks and others have approached IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline. Calls to IndiGo's human resources and operations department increased after Go First said on Tuesday it will suspend flights for three days starting May 3, sources said.

Go First saga begins to hit passengers with flights diverted, cancelled

Go First saga begins to hit passengers with flights diverted, cancelled

Rediff.com   4 May 2023

A nine-day Kashmir trip ended on a sour note for the Shah family of Ahmedabad with an unscheduled diversion and an expensive road ride back home. The Shahs were among hundreds of passengers whose travel plans went awry with Go First suspending all flights till Friday. "We were supposed to travel from Srinagar to Ahmedabad via Mumbai on Tuesday.

Remittances decline 23% sequentially to $2.1 billion in February

Remittances decline 23% sequentially to $2.1 billion in February

Rediff.com   30 Apr 2023

Outward remittances in February under the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) liberalised remittance scheme (LRS) fell 23 per cent over January, latest data released by the central bank, in its monthly bulletin, revealed. In February, Indians remitted $2.1 billion under the RBI's liberalised scheme. On a year-on-year (YoY) basis - aided by international travel - LRS jumped 15.24 per cent. Further, in April 2022-February 2023, outward remittances under LRS stood at $24.18 billion, an all-time high.

LIC's knock-on effect: New business premium of insurers drops 12%

LIC's knock-on effect: New business premium of insurers drops 12%

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2023

Contrary to expectations, the new business premium (NBP) of life insurance companies dropped 12.62 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in March 2023 due to an over 30 per cent drop in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India's premiums, albeit on a high base. Data released by the Life Insurance Council shows the industry racked up NBP of Rs 52,081 crore in March 2023, compared with Rs 59,608.83 crore in the year-ago period. NBP is the premium acquired from new policies in a year. It is the sum of the first-year premium and single premium, reflecting the total premium received from new businesses.

Air India pilot unions oppose salary proposal, call it anti-labour

Air India pilot unions oppose salary proposal, call it anti-labour

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2023

Two unions representing Air India pilots have asked members not to accept the revised compensation and employment offer, calling the company's proposals "unfair labour practices." They said any coercion on pilots to sign the offer would lead to industrial unrest. The Tata group airline announced on Monday a new salary structure for pilots and cabin crew.

Air India revises pilots', cabin crew salaries, announces reward, bonus

Air India revises pilots', cabin crew salaries, announces reward, bonus

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2023

Air India on Monday announced a new compensation structure for its pilots and cabin crew, with a guaranteed flying allowance of 40 hours per month for both categories of staff. While the flying allowance has been doubled for pilots, it has been introduced for flight attendants as part of the new compensation structure. Pilots will earn an additional amount as a reward based on the number of years of service with the airline and get an allowance while undergoing training for command or conversion to another aircraft type.

Market share of PSU general insurers shrinks 800 bps in 5 years: Irdai

Market share of PSU general insurers shrinks 800 bps in 5 years: Irdai

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2023

The four public sector general insurance companies -- New India Assurance, United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance, and National Insurance Company -- have lost 800 basis points (bps) in market share in last five years to their private counterparts, the data from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irdai) revealed. In 2018-19, the four had a cumulative market share of 40.04 per cent, with New India Assurance having a market share of 14 per cent and United India Insurance with a market share of 9.63 per cent. But, gradually in the past five years, these state-backed firms have lost their market share to private sector players, due to the declining health of their business.

Many cases may have to be reopened after SC ruling on borrowers' voice

Many cases may have to be reopened after SC ruling on borrowers' voice

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2023

The Supreme Court's decision to allow borrowers a chance to be heard before their accounts are flagged as fraudulent by lenders is expected to result in several cases being reopened where the borrower is aggrieved because of such classification, bankers said. Still, the reopening of cases would not be automatic. A borrower who is aggrieved by the 'fraud' classification will have to approach the bank and consequently, the bank will take the necessary steps so that the apex court's order is followed in letter and spirit, they said.

'Rs 2,000 note is not easily available'

'Rs 2,000 note is not easily available'

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2023

By the end of March 2022, only 2,140 million pieces of Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes were in circulation, or 13.8 per cent of the total value of notes.

HDFC twins' merger: RBI may take call on relaxations closer to date

HDFC twins' merger: RBI may take call on relaxations closer to date

Rediff.com   27 Mar 2023

The Reserve Bank of India is likely to take a call on the relaxations sought by HDFC Bank in relation to the merger, as the date of merger draws closer, sources said. The HDFC twins, which announced their decision to merge in April last year, received National Company Law Tribunal's (NCLT's) approval recently - a key milestone to close the deal in due time. The management of both the entities had said that it will take 15-18 months for the merger.

Life insurers' new biz premium down 17% in Feb, LIC collections shrink 32%

Life insurers' new biz premium down 17% in Feb, LIC collections shrink 32%

Rediff.com   17 Mar 2023

Life insurance companies reported a 17 per cent year-on-year (YoY) drop in new business premium (NBP) in February as state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India's premiums contracted 32 per cent during this period on account of a drop in its group single premium segment. According to data released by the Life Insurance Council, the industry earned an NBP of Rs 22,847.65 crore in February - a drop of 17 per cent from the same period a year ago.

REVEALED: How RBI Operated During Covid

REVEALED: How RBI Operated During Covid

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2023

200 staffers, consisting of RBI officials and support teams, who are essential to perform critical functions, were isolated at a separate facility in a dedicated quarantined environment near all three RBI data centres.

Insurance companies yet to see fire sale of high-value life policies

Insurance companies yet to see fire sale of high-value life policies

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2023

Many life insurance companies are yet to see a sharp spike in the sale of high-value policies as was widely expected in the aftermath of the government's decision to tax income from insurance policies having an aggregate premium above Rs 5 lakh in a year.

'Every airport in India is on our radar'

'Every airport in India is on our radar'

Rediff.com   4 Mar 2023

'Domestic will remain very much the core of what IndiGo is.' 'But the emphasis in our next growth phase is going to be on the international side.'

90 planes set to board Air India fleet in 2 years

90 planes set to board Air India fleet in 2 years

Rediff.com   20 Feb 2023

The Tata group-owned Air India will induct over 90 aircraft in two years as it looks to widen its footprint and grab a larger market share. The plan includes 56 planes from the mega aircraft order that the airline has now finalised with Airbus and Boeing. These will be in addition to previously announced leases of 36 planes that include Airbus A320Neo, A321Neo, and Boeing 777 aircraft.

With Air India's A350 order, Rolls-Royce makes a comeback in engine market

With Air India's A350 order, Rolls-Royce makes a comeback in engine market

Rediff.com   16 Feb 2023

For the first time in 13 years, since Jet Airways' A330 planes exited the airline's fleet in around 2010, an Indian wide-body aircraft will have a Rolls-Royce-powered engine, with Air India ordering 40 Airbus A350 planes. On Tuesday, Air India announced its mega aircraft order for 470 aircraft, including A350 planes. The A350 aircraft, which will come in two variants, are powered solely by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and the local team has begun work to assist Air India with its aircraft-induction plans.

IndiGo restores annual pay hike for pilots after financial turnaround

IndiGo restores annual pay hike for pilots after financial turnaround

Rediff.com   14 Feb 2023

IndiGo has restored annual increments for more than 4,500 pilots as a financial turnaround helped the airline make a profit in Q3 FY23 after three quarters of loss. An email from the airline's management last week informed pilots of the restoration from April. "The component of annual increment for Indian captains (Rs 10,000 per month) and Indian first officers (Rs 5,000 per month) on the Airbus and ATR fleet which was stopped due to Covid will restart from April 1, 2023," the airline's senior vice president (flight operations) Ashim Mitra said in the staff email.

One year since Tatas took over Air India, here's how the journey has been

One year since Tatas took over Air India, here's how the journey has been

Rediff.com   2 Feb 2023

When the Tatas re-boarded Air India on January 27 last year, the price of aviation turbine fuel was at over Rs 80,000 per kilolitre. Rupee was trading at around Rs 74 to a US dollar. The Omicron variant of Covid-19 was in prevalence - barely a week earlier, India had reported over 340,000 cases on a single day. Seven-day home quarantine of international travellers was the norm.