Dhruvaksh Saha, Amritha Pillay And Deepak Patel

Stories by Dhruvaksh Saha, Amritha Pillay And Deepak Patel

1/4th of Indian carriers' aircraft may be grounded by March-end: CAPA

1/4th of Indian carriers' aircraft may be grounded by March-end: CAPA

Rediff.com   28 Nov 2023

Nearly 200 of the 789 aircraft of Indian carriers are expected to be grounded by the end of March due to ongoing supply chain issues, according to the report released on Monday by CAPA India. At present, 161-166 aircraft are grounded. "More aircraft will be on the ground than expected due to serious supply chain issues, which were supposed to improve but actually deteriorated," it noted.

Elections, festivities, and pollution weigh on India's cement demand

Elections, festivities, and pollution weigh on India's cement demand

Rediff.com   24 Nov 2023

India's cement demand has consistently shown double-digit growth over the past few quarters, primarily driven by infrastructure spending. However, dealers and industry executives note that state elections, festival season, and, in some markets, weddings and pollution may temporarily disrupt this demand story. While the festival season typically sees a slowdown in construction activity, some dealers anticipate this lull extending throughout the entire month as multiple states enter election mode.

Engine MRO in India could have saved Go First, says govt official

Engine MRO in India could have saved Go First, says govt official

Rediff.com   22 Nov 2023

The presence of an engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in India could have prevented Go First airline from going "belly up", as sending engines abroad for servicing is not an efficient way to operate a carrier, Piyush Srivastava, senior economic advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said in a statement on Tuesday. On May 3, Go First suspended its flights and filed for insolvency, squarely blaming engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (PW) for its cash crunch. The airline claimed that about half of its 54 aircraft were grounded on May 3 due to a delay in the supply of engines by the US-based company. PW has denied the charges.

'Challenge for us is resource management'

'Challenge for us is resource management'

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2023

'The fact still remains that we will have to deliver, so the pressure is now on us to make sure we get our resources, our supplies lined up at acceptable costs.'

ICC Cricket World Cup: Ahmedabad airport sees surge in chartered flights

ICC Cricket World Cup: Ahmedabad airport sees surge in chartered flights

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

Ahmedabad airport recorded thrice the number of private chartered/VIP flights in the build-up to the final of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup as compared to the average four-day period. The airport, which usually operates around 64 chartered flights in a span of four days, is set to handle 205 such flights between November 17 and 20, as celebrities and other VIPs descended to watch the India-Australia match.

'We are building Kia 2.0. India is a long-term bet for us'

'We are building Kia 2.0. India is a long-term bet for us'

Rediff.com   17 Nov 2023

'India is the sixth-largest market for the Kia Corporation, and contributes 8 to 9 per cent to our global sales.' 'We are eyeing 10 per cent market share over the next few years depending on customer demand and new product innovations.'

168,491 Lives Lost In Road Mishaps

168,491 Lives Lost In Road Mishaps

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2023

33 per cent of all road accidents and 35 per cent of fatal accidents took place on national highways and expressways.

'2 to 3 years before small car market revives'

'2 to 3 years before small car market revives'

Rediff.com   7 Nov 2023

'It will take some more time because the affordability of these cars have changed drastically.'

Navi Mumbai airport construction facing delays, may start ops in 2025: CAPA

Navi Mumbai airport construction facing delays, may start ops in 2025: CAPA

Rediff.com   30 Oct 2023

Navi Mumbai airport's construction is facing delays, and is likely to commence commercial operations in 2025 instead of 2024, aviation consultancy firm CAPA has said in a report. When asked about this matter, the Adani Group told Business Standard that the Navi Mumbai airport project is "being executed as per scheduled implementation plan and will be operational by the original target date of December, 2024, without any delay". Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), responsible for both the construction and operation of the airport, is a subsidiary of the Adani Group.

Airfares Zoom For Diwali Week!

Airfares Zoom For Diwali Week!

Rediff.com   26 Oct 2023

During the Diwali week (November 10-16), airfares on major routes across the country have surged by up to 44 per cent.

Five accidents in six months: DGCA grounds flight training at Redbird

Five accidents in six months: DGCA grounds flight training at Redbird

Rediff.com   24 Oct 2023

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday suspended operations at Redbird Flight Training Academy, one of India's largest flight schools, across all five of its training bases in the country. This action was taken after five accidents involving the institute's planes in the past six months. The DGCA announced it would conduct an audit of the academy's maintenance practices and also proficiency checks of the institute's flight instructors before allowing it to resume operations.

Maruti to issue Rs 12.8K cr shares for Guj plant buy

Maruti to issue Rs 12.8K cr shares for Guj plant buy

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

The board of Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) on Tuesday approved a proposal to issue shares worth Rs 12,841 crore to parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) for acquiring Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG). The Gujarat manufacturing plant - with an annual capacity of 750,000 units - is owned by SMG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMC. The shares issued to SMC will raise its ownership in MSIL from 56.48 per cent to 58.19 per cent--India's largest carmaker stated in a notice to BSE.

Profit of capital goods cos may stay the course in Q2

Profit of capital goods cos may stay the course in Q2

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

Capital goods companies in their Q2FY24 results are expected to report another steady quarter of earnings growth as order inflows and execution remain healthy, according to analysts. An upward revision in order inflow targets and a margin improvement due to lower raw material costs are also anticipated. "We expect the execution of all capital goods companies and most EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) companies to remain healthy Y-o-Y (year-on-year), led by strong order book accretion in the past 5-6 quarters," wrote analysts at Kotak Securities in a note, estimating revenue growth of 32 per cent for India's largest company in the capital goods space -- Larsen & Toubro.

Two-wheeler exports fell by 20% to 1.69 mn units in H1

Two-wheeler exports fell by 20% to 1.69 mn units in H1

Rediff.com   17 Oct 2023

Two-wheeler exports from India have decreased by 20 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 1.69 million units in the first half (H1) of 2023-24 (FY24) due to a challenging geopolitical situation and foreign exchange (forex) crises in key markets such as South Asia, industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) said on Monday. On the other hand, passenger vehicle (PV) exports in H1FY24 increased by 5 per cent to 336,754 units because the key markets are much more diversified worldwide, Vinod Aggarwal, president, Siam, told reporters during a press conference. The Russia-Ukraine war, which started in February 2022, has brought significant instability to global fuel prices.

Cement companies may report firm profit growth for Q2

Cement companies may report firm profit growth for Q2

Rediff.com   17 Oct 2023

With another quarter of steady growth in demand, cement companies are expected to report strong year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth in earnings, according to analysts. The September quarter (Q2FY24) also witnessed a resumption of price hikes in certain markets. UltraTech Cement, India's largest cement producer, reported a 15 per cent Y-o-Y increase in cement sales in the country for the quarter under review.

IiAS against Anant on Reliance board

IiAS against Anant on Reliance board

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

Proxy advisory firm IiAS has recommended that institutional investors should vote against the appointment of Anant Ambani on Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL's) board, citing his age as the reason. The firm has, however, given its green light to the appointment of Anant's elder siblings - Akash and Isha. In its recommendation note, IiAS said, "At 28 years of age, his appointment as a non-executive, non-independent director does not align with our voting guidelines."

Airfares to rise as IndiGo brings back fuel charge

Airfares to rise as IndiGo brings back fuel charge

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2023

Airfares in the country are set to rise, with IndiGo on Thursday introducing a fuel charge of up to Rs 1,000 based on a flight's distance, in response to the significant rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices in the last three months. The Indian aviation sector experiences its peak travel season between October and December. The inclusion of a fuel charge component in airfares is anticipated to have a sizable impact on IndiGo's passengers, according to experts.

Pilot exodus: Akasa stops flights on 8 routes, reduces service on 10 others

Pilot exodus: Akasa stops flights on 8 routes, reduces service on 10 others

Rediff.com   5 Oct 2023

Akasa Air has reduced its service on 10 routes and stopped operating flights on eight others since the exodus of pilots began in early July. The airline's flights per week reduced from 945 in June to 754 in October, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium's data, which has been reviewed by Business Standard. The airline currently operates flights on 34 routes. Between June and October, Akasa Air ceased operations on the following: Ahmedabad-Kochi, Ahmedabad-Hyderabad, Ahmedabad-Pune, Bengaluru-Hyderabad, Bengaluru-Chennai, Kochi-Hyderabad, Goa-Lucknow, and Goa-Hyderabad.

'Building a war chest essential for expansion'

'Building a war chest essential for expansion'

Rediff.com   3 Oct 2023

'To sustain our growth trajectory, we must continue to explore and capitalise on growth opportunities.'

Rise In Drunk Staff At Airports

Rise In Drunk Staff At Airports

Rediff.com   3 Oct 2023

189 people working at 59 Indian airports were found drunk on duty in the first half of this year, marking a 32 per cent year-on-year increase.