Dhruvaksh Saha And Deepak Patel

Stories by Dhruvaksh Saha And Deepak Patel

SpiceJet again! China-bound freighter returns to Kolkata as radar fails

SpiceJet again! China-bound freighter returns to Kolkata as radar fails

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2022

SpiceJet said its freighter aircraft, which was heading to Chongqing in China, returned to Kolkata on Tuesday as the pilots realised after take off that its weather radar was not working.

Globally, airlines' losses will be down to $9.7 bn this year

Globally, airlines' losses will be down to $9.7 bn this year

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2022

The airlines' losses globally are expected to be down from $52 billion in 2021 to $9.7 billion this year and industry-wide profit should be on the horizon in 2023, Director General of IATA Willie Walsh said in Doha on Monday. International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents some 290 airlines comprising 83 per cent of global air traffic. Walsh, in his inaugural speech at the 78th annual general meeting of IATA here, said that while the outlook for airlines globally is positive, the business environment remains challenging.

Air India plans to buy over 200 new planes

Air India plans to buy over 200 new planes

Rediff.com   20 Jun 2022

Tata Group-owned Air India is considering buying more than 200 new planes with 70 per cent of them being narrow-bodied aircraft, aviation industry sources said on Sunday. While Air India has zeroed in on Airbus's A350 wide-bodied aircraft for the procurement, the talks with Airbus and Boeing for narrow-bodied aircraft is still on, they said. A wide-bodied plane like Airbus A350 has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to travel longer distances such as the India-US routes.

Vistara fined for letting improperly trained pilot land a plane in Indore

Vistara fined for letting improperly trained pilot land a plane in Indore

Rediff.com   2 Jun 2022

The pilot, who was the first officer on the flight, landed the aircraft at the Indore airport recently without first getting the requisite training in a simulator, they said.

IndiGo to conduct study on how to better handle the specially abled

IndiGo to conduct study on how to better handle the specially abled

Rediff.com   1 Jun 2022

The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had last week imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the airline for denying boarding to a specially abled child at Ranchi airport on May 7.

Railways may scrap new dedicated freight corridors, enhance existing ones

Railways may scrap new dedicated freight corridors, enhance existing ones

Rediff.com   25 May 2022

This alternative is being planned as the existing projects continue to be delayed due to land acquisition troubles. The ministry is thinking of adding new track lines to its existing eastern and western DFCs passing major areas in the proposed stretches, senior officials said.

Power outage: Jalandhar MSMEs' new struggle

Power outage: Jalandhar MSMEs' new struggle

Rediff.com   20 May 2022

With the Covid-19 pandemic showing signs of ebbing and economic activity picking up, factory owners in Jalandhar had hoped that the worst was over. However, the heat wave in April and extensive power cuts that came with it, have crushed their hopes. The city's large number of micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) are now gearing up for yet another struggle, this time to survive with the shortage of power that is severely impacting their operations.

Air India bans smoking, consumption of intoxicating substances at workplace

Air India bans smoking, consumption of intoxicating substances at workplace

Rediff.com   19 May 2022

The Tata Group-run Air India has banned smoking and consumption of intoxicating substances at the workplace and any employee violating this order will be "dealt with appropriate consequences", the airline's Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Suresh Dutt Tripathi has stated. It was not clear what was the trigger for Wednesday's communique. Air India did not respond to PTI's request for statement on this matter.

Railways not to cancel any more passenger trains

Railways not to cancel any more passenger trains

Rediff.com   9 May 2022

The Indian Railways has decided to not cancel any more passenger trains to accommodate more freight traffic for coal transport. It will also gradually restore the ones it cancelled recently. The national transporter is of the view that coal supply is now reaching normative levels and does not need any more special measures. "Early data suggests that coal supply has stepped up since the passenger trains were cancelled.

Akasa Air to launch flight operations in July

Akasa Air to launch flight operations in July

Rediff.com   25 Apr 2022

The commercial flight operations of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air will be launched in July instead of June. "As we get closer to the airline launch date, we can now confirm refined estimates on our timelines. "We expect our first aircraft delivery by early June 2022, with the intention to start commercial operations in July 2022," Vinay Dube, CEO, Akasa Air, told PTI.

2 years on, Railways passenger bookings still far from pre-Covid levels

2 years on, Railways passenger bookings still far from pre-Covid levels

Rediff.com   22 Apr 2022

Hit by Covid waves and slowdown, the Indian Railways has still not been able to return to its pre-pandemic passenger traffic, data by ministry of Railways has revealed. In February, the national transporter received 413 million ticket bookings - 43 per cent higher than the previous year, but only 61 per cent of the 675 million in February 2020. According to the statistics, that was the last time the Railways saw more than 500 million bookings in a single month.

Rlys to buy 100,000 more wagons amid freight, coal demand

Rlys to buy 100,000 more wagons amid freight, coal demand

Rediff.com   4 Apr 2022

Amid rising demand for coal freight and an aggressive push towards diversifying its freight basket, Indian Railways is planning to buy 100,000 more wagons over the next three fiscal years. The procurement plan will majorly comprise BOXN wagons, which are used to transport coal, said a senior Ministry of Railways official. Notably, the railways recently floated a sizeable tender worth Rs 35,000 crore of wagons, which had been in the pipeline since 2018. "Our Budget Estimates for freight increase were conservative.

Air travel curbs eased; no PPE kits for crew, pat-down search restarted

Air travel curbs eased; no PPE kits for crew, pat-down search restarted

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2022

The relaxation has been given to facilitate "smooth conduct of air operations", the ministry's order stated.

SpiceHealth, AAI in blame game over Covid fiasco at Amritsar airport

SpiceHealth, AAI in blame game over Covid fiasco at Amritsar airport

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2022

SpiceHealth had on January 6 and January 7 tested 469 passengers who arrived on two charter flights from Italian capital Rome and found 298 of them to be COVID-19-positive.

Covid waves slow down FY22 highway construction

Covid waves slow down FY22 highway construction

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2022

If 2019-20 (FY20) was an unusual year for highway construction in India, with the pace of work slowing down for the first time since the Narendra Modi government assumed power in 2014, largely due to the general elections in May and liquidity crunch, the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21 (FY21) only made matters worse with lockdowns and labour unavailability. The pace of highway construction in 2021-22 (FY22) has not been able to bulldoze the pandemic barriers in a year marred by two Covid-19 waves - the second at the start of the fiscal year, the third towards the close. With localised lockdowns and restrictions on mobility, highway construction growth in the country has now fallen to a five-year low.

Airports Authority may procure two counter-drone systems

Airports Authority may procure two counter-drone systems

Rediff.com   14 Nov 2021

The The Airports Authority of India is likely to procure two counter-drone systems worth Rs 9.9 crore in 2022-23, according to an official document.

Flight dos and don'ts issued, air fares set in 7 bands

Flight dos and don'ts issued, air fares set in 7 bands

Rediff.com   21 May 2020

The Airports Authority of India issued a standard operating procedure to airport operators on Wednesday for recommencement of domestic flights from May 25 onwards.

Post lockdown-flights: Cabin crew to have face shields, gowns, masks

Post lockdown-flights: Cabin crew to have face shields, gowns, masks

Rediff.com   15 May 2020

Airlines such as IndiGo, Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India have decided to go with the new attire to ensure safety of cabin crew members as they are in close proximity to passengers during flights

How drones are helping fight against COVID-19

How drones are helping fight against COVID-19

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2020

Drones are being used for carrying out a host of tasks like surveillance to ensure that people are maintaining social distancing, spreading awareness about COVID-19 in densely populated areas, spraying disinfectants and checking people's temperature

IndiGo has a post-lockdown plan, including no meals

IndiGo has a post-lockdown plan, including no meals

Rediff.com   10 Apr 2020

Once the coronavirus lockdown is over in India and commercial passenger flights are permitted again, IndiGo will deep clean its aircraft more frequently, stop in-flight meal service for a brief period and will fill a maximum 50 per cent capacity in airport buses, the airline's CEO Ronojoy Dutta said on Friday. "In situations like these, companies do not manage to growth or profitability but to liquidity. That means our singular focus is on cash flow. We are examining all our fixed costs and looking for ways to minimise them," he said.