After budget carriers, the Indian skies will soon see the first low-cost charter service. Charter operator Club One Air is going to launch its domestic low-cost operations next year at prices 50 per cent below those currently charged by charters. Thus a Delhi-Kullu chartered flight, which costs Rs 60,000 per person at present, would cost Rs 30,000 once Club One Air starts flying.
This holiday season air travellers will not get rock-bottom prices like Re 1 or Rs 99. In all likelihood, they will have to fork out 10 per cent more for tickets than last year. SpiceJet executives said the fare war was over and average fares across the country would now go up
Private airport developers in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, say landing and parking fees account for a significant proportion of revenues, so offering these services free would be unviable.
What is more, the training period in the US academies is six months, while it can take up to two and a half years in India. According to norms laid down by the DGCA, one can get a license only after completing 200 hours of flying.
Despite adequate capacity, the India-Gulf market has been growing at a steady pace. Traffic from India to the Gulf increased by 30 per cent last year, while international traffic growth average was 15 per cent.
Information technology (IT) solutions provider Amadeus, in a recent study, found that 60 per cent of the companies used low-cost carriers (LCCs) to fly their executives. Around 100 companies were surveyed.
Late commissioning to impact the exploration and production activities of ONGC.
Following Hyderabad-based GMR Infrastructure's successful bid for the new Istanbul airport and DS Construction's acquisition of energy company Globeleq's US assets, many mid-size infrastructure companies are planning to venture overseas.
In order to enhance air connectivity within the state, the Kerala government may underwrite a portion of seats of domestic carriers as part of its new civil aviation policy.
Air India comes last among Indian full-service carriers in selling tickets through the Internet. According to the International Air Transport Association, the carrier sells 7 per cent of its tickets through the Internet.
The North-East is finally set to have its own exclusive private airline with daily flights to Guwahati, Agartala, Lilabari, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Aizawl and Silchar among others.
This would be a key function of the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority, to be set up to regulate tariffs, said a civil aviation ministry official.
The end of the monopoly of oil PSUs on selling jet fuel at Delhi and Mumbai airports is expected to bring competition and more transparent pricing.
The government is in the process of structuring a uniform performance-linked incentive scheme for Air India and Indian Airlines employees after the merger of the two airlines.
As competition hots up, airlines are doling out freebies to wean away customers.
Jet Airways Executive Director Saroj K Datta declined to comment, stating he has not got any circular from DIAL.
The Group of Ministers constituted to review the new civil aviation policy will take up among other things, allowing of private Indian carriers, with three-years experience in the domestic sector, to fly abroad.
The civil aviation ministry is considering three proposals to set up privately-owned, or merchant, airports in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), Durgapur (West Bengal) and Jhhajjar (Haryana).
No major price skirmishes expected; Passengers seem to prefer flights with a short stop-over.
JetLite, which was acquired by Jet Airways for Rs 1,450 crore, is operating three of its seven Canadian-built Bombardier airplanes. JetLite has a total 24 aircraft, including Boeing B737s.
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