The UK-based promoter-director Bhulo (Bhupendra) Kansagra of Delhi-based low-cost carrier SpiceJet is willing to divest the family stake in the airline if the valuations are right. The Kansagra family owns 12.91 per cent in the airline, which is publicly listed, and has a 10 per cent share in the Indian market, and a market capitalisation of $250 million.
Extending the Juhu runway is expected to free 10 to 15 per cent of Mumbai airport's current capacity, which is more than 700 air traffic movements per day. The airport handled 25.8 million passengers last fiscal and traffic is growing at 25 per cent a year.
Speaking to Business Standard, Jet Executive Director Saroj Datta said: "SpiceJet and JetLite are an absolute fit in so far as their business models are concerned."
Jet said apart from Hariharan, AS Bedi and S Bandula are leaving the company as a result of better career prospects and family commitments. While refusing to be drawn into specifics, Jet pointed out that attrition was a common phenomena in any business enterprise and the growing aviation industry in India cannot be excluded.
Most major carriers -- barring Deccan (which has a August-September financial year) and Kingfisher airlines -- do not agree on the figure. Hitesh Patel, executive vice-president, Kingfisher, said, "We have not yet decided on our increments but will follow the industry benchmarks."
The environment ministry has objected to the fact that around 115 hectares (or 7.3 per cent) of total land for the project is mangrove forest. It recently conveyed this to both Cidco and the civil aviation ministry. The matter is now with the prime minister's office. Cidco Vice-Chairman and Managing Director GS Gill said the corporation had sought an appointment with the environment ministry officials to make another presentation on the project in the next 10 days.
Ticket prices do fall 10-15 per cent every summer. But, this year, the fares have fallen 30-60 per cent. Some airlines have decided to top these rock bottom fares with freebies like free hotel accommodation.
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, decided the welcoming staff at the group's Luxury Hotels would be draped in the rich colours and designs of the Banarasi saris. Taj had adopted three villages in Varanasi and employed 25 master weavers there for the project. It will be subsequently replicated at all 10 Luxury Hotels of the group across the country for duty managers and front office staff. For the Taj sari, a weaver is paid Rs 1800 directly, without a middleman.
HD TV is all set to make a grand entry in India by the year-end. Direct-To-Home operators -- Dish TV and Reliance Communications -- are planning to offer HD TV set top boxes, though at a premium.
Boeing had announced a further six-month delay for the first flight and initial deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner programme to Air India. A high-level Boeing team will discuss the fallouts with IA, including compensation in the coming week. The revised delays will have a significant impact on IA's growth plan and financial aspect. Apart from compensation, Boeing will also have to factor in the impact of the delay on the carrier's growth plan when computing for the same.
The brain drain, it seems, is passe. India is becoming one of the hottest destinations for expatriates (both those of Indian origin and foreigners) for top jobs. That is because big business houses in India are ready to offer pay packets that are equivalent to and sometimes more than global benchmarks. This is a key finding of a study of senior recruitment trends by US-based SpencerStuart, a leading executive search firm that specialises in recruiting CEOs, presidents and COO
With both the Indian and Chinese governments agreeing to a full fifth freedom last month, the doors have opened for Indian carriers to tap the lucrative United States west coast market through the Middle Kingdom as well as tap China's growing tourism market. This will give Indian carriers the ballast to challenge established foreign carriers like Singapore Airlines and Cathay, which have picked most of the India-US traffic.
"The markets do not remain the same forever but still, anything that makes sense to Jet Airways' shareholders will make sense for the promoters as well," Goyal said. Together with JetLite, formerly Air Sahara, which Jet bought last year, the airline controls over 29 per cent of the Indian domestic market.
Private carrier Jet Airways is expected to further consolidate its international operations into a major revenue grosser in FY09, to overcome the growing turbulence in the domestic sector. The general economic scenario does not bode well for capacity expansion on domestic routes, with some of these struggling on account of overcapacity, and only yesterday some airlines were pushed to hike fares to make up for higher aviation turbine fuel prices.
After Frankfurt, the airline may opt for Munich as its other base in Europe. "Air India would ideally want to have both Frankfurt and Munich as European hubs as the airline does not want to vacate Frankfurt and also wants to establish Munich as a hub for operations after network expansion plans come through," said an Air-India official close to the development, not wanting to be quoted.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, the consortium operating the new Hyderabad airport, has offered to halve ground-handling charges even as the civil aviation ministry allowed the domestic carriers to undertake their ground-handling till January 1, 2009. This will give the two sides enough time to resolve the contentious issue, which almost jeopardised the opening of the new airport and forced a postponement once.
Global equity companies have no plans to put their money in the Indian aviation industry even though the carriers are seeking $2.5 billion in cash for expansion. Most players are looking at investing in into large established airlines, but right now are in the wait and watch mode. It will therefore be difficult for low-cost carriers to get funding. The losses of the Indian aviation sector and high valuation expectations are the reasons why investors are not interested.
India's largest private sector airline Jet Airways has postponed its $400 million (Rs 1600 crore) rights issue slated for March this year by three or four months, the third postponement since the board approved it in June, owing to poor market sentiment.
With the Bangalore airport announcing stiff user developmental fee on domestic passengers, low-cost carriers -- JetLite, SpiceJet and Simplifly Deccan (formerly Air Deccan) -- have decided to drastically cut their flight schedules to the city and other new airports like Hyderabad.
With the Bangalore airport announcing stiff user developmental fee on domestic passengers, low-cost carriers JetLite, SpiceJet and Simplifly Deccan (formerly Air Deccan) have decided to drastically cut their flight schedules to the city and other new airports like Hyderabad.
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