Deepak Patel &Amp;Amp; Akshara Srivastava

Stories by Deepak Patel &Amp;Amp; Akshara Srivastava

Wine maker Sula Vineyard eyes double-digit growth on premiumisation

Wine maker Sula Vineyard eyes double-digit growth on premiumisation

Rediff.com   24 Jun 2024

Raising toast to 25 successful years, India's largest wine maker Sula Vineyard is eyeing a sustained double-digit growth in revenue over the next five years, buoyed by growth in the premium and elite categories and expansion of its new ranges. It was during Covid that the vineyards shifted focus to its own brands and pivoted towards growing the premium and elite segment of the market.

Charged-up: Bengaluru takes top spot in electric car registrations

Charged-up: Bengaluru takes top spot in electric car registrations

Rediff.com   18 Jun 2024

Bengaluru outpaced Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune in 2023 to become India's leading city for electric car registrations. The city's tech-savvy workforce, increased acceptability, zero road tax, subsidised electricity for EV charging, and a wide charging station network contributed to this surge. Electric car registrations in Karnataka's capital surged more than threefold in 2023 to 8,690 units, overtaking the growth witnessed in the other three cities, according to data from Jato Dynamics

Rajasthan Hotels Offer Off-Season Bargains

Rajasthan Hotels Offer Off-Season Bargains

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2024

Hotel rooms, usually in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 a night during the peak season, are now available for Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 a night.

Air India's rise could impact 3 Gulf hubs: Saudia

Air India's rise could impact 3 Gulf hubs: Saudia

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2024

Air India (AI)'s rise could be at the expense of three "super-connector" hubs - Doha in Qatar, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE - as the Indian passenger would any day prefer direct flights of their national airline that is providing excellent on-time service, Arved von zur Muehlen, chief commercial officer of Saudia Airlines, said on Thursday.

Airfares to summer destinations defy heat, stay cool

Airfares to summer destinations defy heat, stay cool

Rediff.com   30 May 2024

Notwithstanding the sweltering heat engulfing major cities, travellers can find solace in the steady airfares to popular summer destinations like Srinagar, Bagdogra, and Kochi. According to airline executives, capacity increases and moderate demand have kept spot airfares from scorching cities like Delhi on a par with the same period last year.

April domestic air travel growth slows to 13-month low; Air India grows

April domestic air travel growth slows to 13-month low; Air India grows

Rediff.com   22 May 2024

The number of domestic air travelers in India grew 2.42 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in April, reaching 13.2 million, according to data by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday.

WEF: Tourism's share in global GDP to return to pre-Covid levels this year

WEF: Tourism's share in global GDP to return to pre-Covid levels this year

Rediff.com   22 May 2024

The travel and tourism sector's contribution to global gross domestic product will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday. This recovery is driven by a considerable increase in worldwide demand, coinciding with more available flights, better international openness, and increased interest and investment in natural and cultural attractions.

Coffee Aroma Is Spreading Across India

Coffee Aroma Is Spreading Across India

Rediff.com   16 May 2024

India has been a tea sipping society. But the aromatic wave of coffee culture is wafting across it.

Air India's international cargo business takes wings, not so for IndiGo

Air India's international cargo business takes wings, not so for IndiGo

Rediff.com   13 May 2024

The international cargo operations of two major carriers - IndiGo and Air India Group (Air India and Vistara) - are experiencing opposite trajectories despite both the airlines significantly expanding their international flight offerings over the past year. During the fourth quarter of 2023-24, IndiGo's international non-passenger cargo business declined to 6,848 tonnes. This is an 18.2 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) decrease, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)

Indians Are Saying NO To SUGAR!

Indians Are Saying NO To SUGAR!

Rediff.com   9 May 2024

With rising incomes, education, and health awareness in India, especially in the big cities, droves of people are saying no to sugar.

Rural FMCG growth overtakes urban after 5 quarters

Rural FMCG growth overtakes urban after 5 quarters

Rediff.com   8 May 2024

India's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector witnessed growth in rural consumption in volume terms outpace urban consumption for the first time in five quarters, in the January-March period. According to a report from consumer intelligence firm NIQ, rural consumption grew at a rate of 7.6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in Q1CY24, overtaking that in urban areas which stood at 5.7 per cent.

Why DGCA Suspended Vistara Executive

Why DGCA Suspended Vistara Executive

Rediff.com   1 May 2024

This isn't the first instance of Vistara facing scrutiny from the regulator over improper pilot training.

No cancer-causing agents in our products: MDH on quality claims

No cancer-causing agents in our products: MDH on quality claims

Rediff.com   29 Apr 2024

MDH Spices has denied allegations that its products have traces of cancer-causing agent ethylene oxide (ETO), calling them "untrue" and "lacking any substantiating evidence." "Amid speculations doing rounds that there is presence of ETO in our products, we clarify and state unequivocally that these claims are untrue and lack any substantiating evidence," a statement released by the company said.

DGCA directs airlines to seat kids up to 12 years with their parents

DGCA directs airlines to seat kids up to 12 years with their parents

Rediff.com   24 Apr 2024

A child who is less than 12 years of age must be allotted a seat beside at least one parent or a guardian with whom he is travelling, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told airlines on Tuesday. The DGCA has said that the air transport circular on unbundling of services and fees by scheduled airlines is being modified. It allows airlines to charge for excess baggage, preferential seats, meals, snacks, drinks, and carriage of musical instruments.

'Aionos will bridge silos within aviation, hospitality using AI'

'Aionos will bridge silos within aviation, hospitality using AI'

Rediff.com   24 Apr 2024

Industries such as aviation and hospitality have many silos within them and Aionos, the joint venture between Interglobe Enterprises (IGE) and Assago Group, is an attempt to bridge them and boost efficiencies using artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, Rahul Bhatia told Business Standard on Tuesday. Bhatia, the Group Managing Director of IGE, serves as the majority shareholder in India's largest airline, IndiGo. Additionally, IGE operates 21 hotels under the Ibis brand and runs a logistics company called Movin.

Consumption story gets a facelift as rural demand shows promise

Consumption story gets a facelift as rural demand shows promise

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2024

Consumer goods firms and auto companies are witnessing an upturn in rural demand, which had been lagging for most of FY24. Expectations of a bumper rabi crop harvest have helped turn the tide. The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) Monetary Policy Committee kept the repo rate unchanged last week, noting that as rural demand catches up, consumption is expected to support economic growth in 2024-25.

Summer pinch: Airfares on key routes rise up to 13%

Summer pinch: Airfares on key routes rise up to 13%

Rediff.com   11 Apr 2024

Airfares on major domestic routes such as Kolkata-Bagdogra, Delhi-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Mumbai have witnessed an increase of up to 12.7 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in May this year, according to data by Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel. The recent increase in aviation turbine fuel prices, rupee depreciation, reduction of flights by key players, and grounding of planes due to engine supply issues have contributed to the rise in airfares, said aviation industry experts. However, the data also shows that summer airfares on key routes such as Delhi-Leh and Delhi-Kolkata have significantly decreased due to the introduction of new flights.

'Bonded labour': Air India pilot unions extend support to Vistara

'Bonded labour': Air India pilot unions extend support to Vistara

Rediff.com   5 Apr 2024

Describing their situation akin to "bonded labour", two Air India pilot unions extended their support to Vistara pilots on Thursday, who have raised grievances regarding the duty roster and the revised salary structure. Amid the slew of flight cancellations and delays, Vistara chief executive officer Vinod Kannan acknowledged on Wednesday that pilot utilisation in the airline was high, and announced plans to scale back its flight schedule and overhaul the rostering system to provide pilots with more rest time.

Flight schedule to normalise in 2-3 days: Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan

Flight schedule to normalise in 2-3 days: Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2024

High pilot utilisation, combined with a portion of pilots taking sick leave at the end of March has resulted in the cancellations during the last couple of days, chief executive officer (CEO) of Vistara, Vinod Kannan, said during a meeting with the pilots on Wednesday.

Vistara cancellations lead to surge in spot airfares by up to 38%

Vistara cancellations lead to surge in spot airfares by up to 38%

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2024

The spot airfares on major routes, where Vistara cancelled flights on Tuesday, have surged by up to 38 per cent, according to data provided by Cleartrip. The spot airfares for Tuesday were compared with March 5. Vistara has cancelled 52 flights on routes such as Delhi-Indore, Delhi-Srinagar, Mumbai-Kochi, and Bengaluru-Udaipur as a certain section of pilots went on sick leave, reportedly protesting against the new salary structure that was introduced as part of the airline's merger with Air India.