India and the US on Thursday said they are looking forward to the reconvening of the India-US Trade Policy Forum later this year to further enhance trade relationship and identify new areas for engagement.
Air-India plans to expand its 33 aircraft fleet by dry leasing two Boeing 747-400 aircraft and increasing the number of seats during the summer season.
"The AI865 flight on Thursday got delayed as it developed a technical snag. It had to return to the bay. Passengers started knocking on the cockpit door, asking and taunting the pilots to come out," said an airline official. "One male passenger even said that he will break open the cockpit door if the pilots didn't come out," the official said, adding the situation inside the plane "went from bad to worse".
The Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Thursday got the longest runway in the country which is expected to end congestion for the capital's domestic and international flights.
Air-India has taken three Boeing 777s on lease for a five-year period beginning December 2004.
Major aircraft-maker Boeing on Tuesday heightened its pitch for Air India's plans to acquire 17 long-haul and 18 short-haul planes, claiming its 777-200 ERs (extended range) and 737-800s were best suited for the Indian carrier.
US aircraft major Boeing on Thursday showcased its new generation B-777-200 LR (long range) plane in New Delhi.
Air-India is to acquire 18 aircraft of 160-seater plus category, worth over $1.5 billion, during the next five years, even as it has decided to scale down its requirement of long-range aircraft from 17 to 10 planes.
The two new B777 planes will come to India from US facility of Boeing by July next year. They will have the call sign 'Air India One'. Only IAF pilots will be flying the two new aircraft for PM, president and vice president.
In December 2005, AI had ordered 111 aircraft worth Rs 46,000 crore.
The US aircraft manufacturer has already agreed to create a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Nagpur as part of its India commitments following the Air India order.
'Indian aviation is having a lesser number of aircraft.' 'Besides the Boeing 737 MAX, you have the A320Neos which Indigo is currently grappling with because of a lack of pilots.' 'This has led to cancellation (of flights) and therefore the prices of air tickets are on the higher side this season although generally in March ticket prices are on the lower side.'
The airlines is in talks with Oman Air and Etihad.
New airline Akasa Air on Friday said it will launch commercial flight operations on August 7 by operating its first service on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route using Boeing 737 Max aircraft. In a statement, the carrier said it has opened ticket sales on 28 weekly flights it will be operating on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route from August 7, as well as on 28 weekly flights it will operating on Bengaluru-Kochi route from August 13. The carrier will launch commercial operations with two 737 Max aircraft. Boeing has delivered one Max plane and the second one's delivery is scheduled to take place later this month.
Capable of flying at Mach 2.5 (two-and-a-half times the speed of sound), the F-15EX is the world's fastest fighter aircraft. It carries 13.5 tonnes of weapons load, more than the Rafale or the Sukhoi-30MKI.
About 350 Boeing 737 Max 8 are currently in service with airlines around the world, with thousands more on order. Boeing insists it has no reason to pull the popular aircraft from the skies.
Defence major Boeing on Monday proposed greater business engagement with India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised the US companies to provide friendlier business environment in the country.
India has got the money and workforce, but no Indian firm has so far decided to do it
Indigo has zero competition on 61.2 per cent of its 838 domestic routes.
Another airport official said on condition of anonymity that a spark flew out of from the rear of the plane and ignited the grass. "Thank god it happened only after the passengers alighted from the plane," the official said.
Boeing's plan involves setting up an Indian factory and the aerospace ecosystem to build the Block II Super Hornet.
Though a formal purchase agreement with Boeing is yet to be signed, SpiceJet's order size could be of 40-50 planes, a source familiar with the development said. At list price, a 737 Max aircraft is valued at about $100 million (Rs 620 crore).
Boeing India president says with the rising prices of aviation fuel, the airlines do not have any option but to increase the fares.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes on Tuesday offered to replace the aircraft leased by Air-India from South Korea with new generation ones at a 'great price' and said Indian Airlines would save over Rs 700 crore (Rs 7 billion) if it bought planes from it.
Air India will train its pilots in Singapore for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, due for delivery from December. The move is sparking a protest from one of its pilots' unions, on promotion issues.
'Rajnath Singh's message was very clear: India's focus is on developing self-reliance.'
The aviation regulator slapped fines amounting to Rs 2.75 crore on Indian airlines in 2023, marking a 39 per cent rise in financial penalties from Rs 1.97 crore in 2022. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it imposed fines on domestic carriers such as Air India, IndiGo, AirAsia India and SpiceJet for issues related to non-compliance in 2023. The regulator also carried out a record number of 5,745 surveillance activities in the year to ensure compliance by airlines, aerodrome operators, and aviation personnel among others.
"There needs to be further inquiry," said former Premier of Ontario Province Bob Rae, the independent investigator of the trial on the bombing of Air-India flight 182, after releasing his review report.
The incident happened while the Kochi-bound Boeing 737-800 aircraft was taxiing and after the warning, the passengers were evacuated as a precautionary measure, the source said.
Boeing is likely to vie for the deal to supply 110 fighter jets to the IAF in one of the biggest such procurement in recent years globally which could be worth over USD 15 billion.
Air-India on Tuesday took the delivery of the first of the three Boeing 737-800s for its subsidiary A-I Express for operations to the Gulf.
An airline official said there were 292 passengers, including 8 infants onboard the plane.
The Indian Navy has decided that the twin-seat Rafale will not be disqualified on the basis of its inability to operate from an aircraft carrier.
"By the time this fiscal year ends and then next one starts and unless someone does a harakiri in lowering their fare, we see a good scenario beginning April onwards," Boeing India president Dinesh Keskar told PTI in an interview.
Akasa Air said on Thursday said it has received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from aviation regulator DGCA and will start commercial operations later this month.
