At the recently concluded Dubai airshow, Akasa, Rakesh Radheyshyam Jhunjhunwala's new airline, signed a $9 billion deal with American aircraft maker Boeing to buy its 737 MAX planes and a $4 billion one for engines with CFM, a joint venture between GE of the US and Safran of France. Unlike his financial doppelganger Warren Buffett, who divested billions from his airline stock portfolio at the start of the pandemic, Jhunjhunwala is wagering his billions in a brand new airline. The legendary investor bought a roughly 40 per cent stake in SNV Aviation in September, Akasa's holding company, started in March by three former Jet Airways colleagues. With aviation still to recover from its pandemic slump, the big question around his foray into domestic aviation, due to take off in summer 2022, is whether it is another pie in the sky.
Jet's air operator certificate will lapse on May 19.
Tata Sons will increase its stake in budget carrier AirAsia India (AAI) to 83.67 per cent by acquiring an additional 32.67 per cent for $37.66 million from AirAsia Investment Ltd (AAIL), according to a regulatory filing. Currently, AAIL, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia-based AirAsia, holds 49 per cent stake in the Bengaluru-based AirAsia India. In a regulatory filing to stock exchange Bursa Malaysia, AirAsia said, "The board of directors of AirAsia wishes to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary AAIL and Tata Sons Pvt Ltd, India, on December 29, entered into a share purchase agreement."
Initial reports say the pilots had asked for a change in route (it was flying to Singapore) because of adverse weather.
Former IAF chief Bhadauria said this aircraft is "state-of-the-art" and "hugely capable".
There is enough room for growth in smaller Indian towns as per US and European aircraft manufacturers
With its nominees on the board, Tata Sons will have the controlling stake of 51%.
The letter shared with the media on Saturday comes amid Maharashtra losing several big-ticket projects to neighbouring Gujarat.
The proposals cleared by the DAC include new-generation anti-tank mines, air defence tactical control radar, heavy-weight torpedoes, medium-range maritime reconnaissance and multi-mission maritime aircraft, flight refueller aircraft and software-defined radios.
The losses are primarily because the venture operated only for 18 days in June, with only two flights.
Scott Bayman cited Indian Airlines' and Air India's purchase of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, respectively, as prime examples of this growing transparency.
'Within five years, we should be achieving more on the international front than what it took most airlines 15 to 20 years back.'
GoAir is smaller in comparison to its rivals but is still surviving despite financial crisis.
Tony Fernandes said the aviation sector here was a "double marathon" and not a "sprint".
In one step forward, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday met for the first time to decide on allowing the Airbus A-380s to operate at some airports, years after some major foreign carriers sought the right to fly these superjumbos to India.
At present, six A320 Neo of IndiGo & GoAir are grounded waiting for engine replacement
It has aircraft utilisation target of 16 hours as against the current 13 hours.
Indonesia-based Lion Air Flight JT610, a three-month old 737 MAX 8, took off from capital Jakarta at 6.20 am local time on Monday and lost contact 13 minutes later when it was at an altitude of about 3,000 feet.
The number of such incidents stood at 25 in 2015, 31 in 2014 and 23 in 2013.
It is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company.
r Deccan, India's first low-cost airline, created history on Wednesday by flying passengers to Delhi from Bangalore for a fare of only Rs 500, plus taxes (Rs 200).
The Indian troops guarding the nearly 3,500-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) maintained an assertive approach in sync with the broader national security doctrine and procured a variety of military platforms and weapons to enhance their combat capabilities.
If all 102 grounded planes could fly, there will theoretically be 400 more Delhi-Mumbai flights every day.
An Iran Air flight carrying Indian pilgrims stranded in coronavirus-hit Iran landed at the airport in Mumbai on Friday afternoon, an official said.
Vistara has a three-class configuration with business, premium economy and economy cabins.
The objections were filed after Airbus failed to repay Rs 196 crore, availed by the aircraft-making company on behalf of Mallya-controlled Kingfisher Airlines
The airline is currently working to normalise its operations with the support of its pilots and cabin crew and expects to be on track by the end of this week, it said.
It and Vistara both book slots here; former also likely to launch Mumbai flights from early 2015.
AirAsia's rival airlines in India have kept themselves super-busy in the past few months -- by moving court against the former's launch, adding flights on the routes where AirAsia is operating, and engaging in a price war.
Coordination between defence and civilian authorities has freed up airspace for commercial airlines in India, resulting in routes becoming shorter and costs coming down, apart from mitigating pollution. "Due to various restrictions of the military, only about 58 per cent of the Indian airspace was being utilised. It is close to 70 per cent now," said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Officials of the AAI said to date 119 routes had been shortened. Sources said since December 2020 the cumulative savings of airlines had been close to Rs 200 crore while there was a reduction in emission of around 45,000 tonnes of carbon.
Vistara is likely to offer 148 seats in a three-class configuration in its Airbus A320s, industry sources said.
'Domestic will remain very much the core of what IndiGo is.' 'But the emphasis in our next growth phase is going to be on the international side.'
GoAir hopes to fly 15 million passengers by 2016-17, serve 30 destinations, up from 21 now, and will largely remain a domestic airline.
India is not an easy environment to operate in and grow because of the high cost of operations, says Neil Mills.
As a part of its route rationalization and cost-cutting measures, Air India plans to replace its twin-class aircraft with all-economy ones belonging to low-cost subsidiary Air India Express on few Gulf routes from this month end.
There are several first officers who have flown 5,000 hours
The carrier planned to bring in a plane a month from March to build a fleet of at least 10 jets by the end of the year.
AirAsia runs a joint venture portal with Expedia and it is an exclusive online distribution channel for the airline.
"When the A320 plane, which did not have any passengers as it was heading to Moscow to bring back stranded Indians under Vande Bharat Mission, had reached Uzbekistan's airspace, our team on ground realised that one of the pilots had tested COVID-positive," senior Air India officials said.
