Tewolde Gebremariam, a seasoned aviation professional with extensive experience at Ethiopian Airlines, has been named the new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India. He is tasked with leading the airline's ambitious five-year transformation plan, Vihaan.AI, aimed at achieving significant growth and profitability, marking him as the second foreign national to helm Air India under Tata Group ownership.
Passenger traffic Y-o-Y fell 26.8 per cent in April and 24.6 per cent in May, while capacity declined 9.6 per cent and 11.3 per cent, respectively.
Domestic air passenger traffic in India decreased by 4.80 per cent in July 2026 compared to the previous year, reaching 1.20 crore, with major airlines experiencing a drop in load factor, according to DGCA data. Despite the overall dip, IndiGo and Air India Group increased their market share.
Air India Group has accumulated losses of about Rs 47,821 crore since its takeover, leaving its prolonged transformation among the biggest unfinished projects of N Chandrasekaran's tenure.
'We may be able to wind back some of the schedule reductions we'd taken in recent months.'
An Air India flight from Delhi to Amritsar briefly entered Pakistan airspace during a go-around manoeuvre at Amritsar airport. India's aviation regulator, DGCA, has taken interim action against an air traffic controller and the operating crew for failing to report the incident, which is now under internal investigation by Air India.
Indian airlines are expected to cancel 444 international flights due to airspace restrictions in the Middle East following attacks on Iran by Israel and the US. The civil aviation ministry is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with airlines to ensure passenger safety and minimize disruptions.
Due to airspace restrictions resulting from the conflict in the Middle East, Indian domestic carriers have cancelled 278 international flights. Some airlines are operating limited services and special flights to assist stranded passengers.
The broader conflict in West Asia, the largest international market for Indian carriers, has forced a sharp reduction in daily flights relative to the summer schedule.
The apex auditor is busy preparing a report on the Air India-Indian Airlines merger and modernisation of airports through public-private-partnerships, both carried out during the previous term of the United Progressive Alliance government.
Air India has deferred annual salary increments for its staff by at least one quarter and urged a "relentless focus on costs" due to external headwinds like the closure of Pakistan airspace, West Asia conflict, rupee depreciation, and a significant surge in aviation turbine fuel prices, though the airline has assured there will be no layoffs.
Indian Airlines whipped Bangladesh XI while Air-India prevailed over CISF in the semi-finals of the Shastri hockey tournament.\n\n
An Air India flight en route to San Francisco was compelled to return to New Delhi due to a technical malfunction, causing significant disruption to passengers.
French aerospace and defence major Thales views India as a highly dynamic market for avionics, with significant growth potential as Indian airlines expand their fleets. The company, which has a substantial presence and MRO facilities in India, is also exploring opportunities to replicate India-developed solutions globally and sees increased use of AI in development.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran addressed Air India employees, acknowledging the airline's challenging phase while reaffirming the Tata Group's commitment to its long-term transformation, focusing on service quality, safety, and operational improvements.
The CBI today registered three FIRs and a preliminary enquiry to probe alleged irregularities in Indian Airlines-Air India merger and purchase of 111 aircraft, leasing of planes and giving up of profit-making routes by Air India, causing a loss of thousands of crore of rupees.
Indian airlines are resuming normal services to Kathmandu after the airport reopened following unrest in Nepal. Air India and IndiGo will operate additional flights to bring back stranded passengers.
Parents of Kashmiri students studying in Iran have appealed to the Indian government to evacuate their children due to ongoing tensions and protests in the country. They cite difficulties in communication and travel arrangements.
Varthaman, who downed an enemy jet during an aerial combat with Pakistan in 2019 and was held captive for three days in that country, was honoured with the Vir Chakra award in 2021.
The other semi-final in the Shastri hockey tournament will be between Indian Oil and BPCL.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority is investigating a fuel control switch issue on an Air India Boeing 787-8 at Heathrow Airport. The incident occurred before a flight to Bengaluru, prompting scrutiny from both UK and Indian aviation regulators.
The operations of many global carriers, including Qatar Airways, have also been impacted due to the airspace curbs in the wake of the Middle East tensions.
China Southern Airlines is set to resume its Guangzhou-New Delhi passenger service from September 21, ending a six-year suspension. This move is part of a broader normalisation of India-China relations, following recent high-level diplomatic meetings and previous flight resumptions by other carriers.
With 7.64 million seats, the Mumbai-Delhi route in 2025 was the eighth busiest route in the world.
The UK's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the recent massive disruption across UK airports, which led to thousands of flight cancellations and affected tens of thousands of passengers, including those on flights to and from India. An investigation is underway, and the incident marks the third major air traffic collapse under the current CEO's tenure.
Airlines are cutting not only international services but also domestic flights, especially on routes projected to remain unprofitable in the coming weeks due to weak demand and high fares.
Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
Anoushka Shankar reports damage to her sitar after an Air India flight, prompting an investigation by the airline. The incident has drawn reactions from fellow artists and highlights concerns about the handling of musical instruments.
Globally, as well as in India, most airlines pay their pilots a fixed salary. Private airlines in India pay an Executive Commander a salary from Rs 4,15,000 to Rs 4,35,000 per month. However, if the pilot flies more than 70-75 hours a month, he gets an additional payment for each hour flown, aboutr Rs 4,000 an hour.
'India was the emirate's largest international source market by hotel guest volume.'
Air India announced the resumption of its non-stop flights between Delhi and Shanghai (PVG), effective from February 1, 2026, marking Air India's return to mainland China after nearly six years, an official statement by the airline stated.
Indian airlines are likely to face additional weekly expenses of Rs 77 crore for international flights operated from north Indian cities as the airspace curbs result in increased fuel consumption and longer flight duration. An analysis of the number of overseas flights and back-of-the-envelope calculations based on increased flight time as well as approximate expenses by PTI showed that the additional monthly operational costs could be over Rs 306 crore.
Tata Sons has the balance sheet to support them, for now.
Airports across the country have been placed on operational alert to manage potential flight diversions, unscheduled landings and passenger facilitation requirements.
Air India grounded a Boeing 787-8 after a pilot reported a potential fuel control switch defect. The incident occurs amidst an ongoing investigation into the airline's Dreamliner crash last June.
Ashwani Lohani said employees were wrongly blamed for woes of the organisation due to the merger that didn't happen
An Air India Airbus A350 sustained engine damage after ingesting a baggage container while taxiing at Delhi airport. The incident occurred after the flight returned to Delhi due to the unexpected closure of Iranian airspace. The DGCA is investigating.
'CORSIA has set impossible targets. It tries to limit countries to the emission levels of the number of aircraft that they had in 2020. That has to be opposed.'
IndiGo has the lowest pilots-to-aircraft ratio among domestic airlines in India, according to data presented in Parliament. SpiceJet and Akasa Air have the highest ratios. Air India Express employs the most expat pilots.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, credited with stabilising Tata Sons after a boardroom coup and overseeing significant expansion, has announced his resignation as chairman, capping a nearly decade-long tenure marked by both successes and escalating tensions with the group's controlling charitable trusts.
