News for 'Air India and Indian Airlines'

What will IAF do with Air India's A-320s?

What will IAF do with Air India's A-320s?

Rediff.com1 Jan 2021

The airliners will be withdrawn from Air India, sent to France to fit airborne radars, then handed over to DRDO to be integrated with the complex software that will allow these aircraft to function as 'eye-in-the-sky' controllers of air force battles.

Air India pilots union says 60% pay cut is illegal

Air India pilots union says 60% pay cut is illegal

Rediff.com20 Jul 2020

In a letter to Air India Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal, the ICPA said, "In the press conference by Honourable Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri dated 16th July 2020, you had stated 'we are in negotiation with the pilots', which is far from reality." "It was not a negotiation, but the 'diktat' of the MoCA (ministry of civil aviation) which was conveyed to us. We would also like to place on record that the so-called negotiation was 'not harmonious' in any aspect," the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) noted.

Modi govt must act swiftly to revive Air India's fortunes

Modi govt must act swiftly to revive Air India's fortunes

Rediff.com26 Aug 2014

National carrier Air India is running in losses and needs government's attention.

Air India requests 'inactive' crew to immediately join work

Air India requests 'inactive' crew to immediately join work

Rediff.com16 Mar 2019

Inactive crew members are employees who are on any kind of leave be it casual, medical or privilege.

'Air India's books are so bad that nobody will buy it'

'Air India's books are so bad that nobody will buy it'

Rediff.com9 Jun 2016

Air India has been in the red since the merger of then Air India and Indian Airlines in 2007.

Has India achieved Op Sindoor objectives? IAF says...

Has India achieved Op Sindoor objectives? IAF says...

Rediff.com12 May 2025

The Director General of Air Operations said "whatever methods and whatever means we have chosen, it had the desired effects on the enemy targets",

Gaikwad attempted to fly Air India thrice using alias

Gaikwad attempted to fly Air India thrice using alias

Rediff.com31 Mar 2017

The airline had earlier issued a 'non-acceptance order' to all its station managers and booking offices.

'In Those 10 Seconds, Something Very Critical Happened'

'In Those 10 Seconds, Something Very Critical Happened'

Rediff.com24 Jun 2025

'In those 10 seconds, they even made a MAYDAY call -- which is only issued in case of a serious, imminent emergency.'

Pak bans Indian ships after New Delhi's fresh punitive measures

Pak bans Indian ships after New Delhi's fresh punitive measures

Rediff.com4 May 2025

Pakistan has banned Indian-flagged ships from entering its ports with immediate effect after India imposed fresh punitive measures, including a ban on the import of goods and entry of Pakistani vessels into its ports, against Islamabad amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack. The move comes after India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operational land border crossing at Attari, and downgrading of diplomatic ties following the terror attack. The Pakistan Army has also conducted a successful training launch of the Abdali Weapon System, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 km, saying it was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters. India considers the test launch of the ballistic missile a "blatant" act of "provocation."

SC allows Air India to fly with middle seats filled for 10 days

SC allows Air India to fly with middle seats filled for 10 days

Rediff.com25 May 2020

The SC observed that the government should be more worried about the health of citizens rather than the health of commercial airlines.

Stiff riders for buyers of Air India, BPCL

Stiff riders for buyers of Air India, BPCL

Rediff.com3 Feb 2020

The government is selling its entire 100 per cent stake in Air India but wants effective control to stay with Indian nationals.

Air India Express spreads its wings in Gulf

Air India Express spreads its wings in Gulf

Rediff.com18 Oct 2007

Close on the heels of introducing a direct flight from Dubai to Nagpur on September 24, Air India Express is adding two more Indian destinations to its schedule, Jaipur and Lucknow, said Freddie Vaz, regional Director of Air India.

How rising competition adds to Air India's woes

How rising competition adds to Air India's woes

Rediff.com4 Nov 2014

The national carrier's market share has declined from a near-monopoly to 16.6 per cent as of September 2014.

What ails Air India? Former top executive spills the beans

What ails Air India? Former top executive spills the beans

Rediff.com12 Nov 2013

Former Air India executive director Jitender Bhargava comes out with a book detailing what went wrong with the national carrier. According to him, India does not have a civil aviation policy, and that's just the beginning.

With Jet out of the skies, will Air India now find suitors?

With Jet out of the skies, will Air India now find suitors?

Rediff.com28 May 2019

Another reason working in Air India's favour now is the government's plan to clean up part of the airline's burgeoning debt from its books - a major deterrent for investors when it attempted divestment the previous time.

Cairn, Air India seek stay on New York court proceedings

Cairn, Air India seek stay on New York court proceedings

Rediff.com15 Sep 2021

Cairn Energy and Air India have jointly asked a New York federal court to stay further proceedings in the British firm's US lawsuit targeting the airline for enforcement of a $1.2-billion arbitral award. The move follows the government enacting a law to scrap retrospective taxation in the country, which in effect will result in withdrawal of the Rs 10,247 crore tax demand on Cairn, according to court documents reviewed by PTI. The British company had won an international arbitration award against levy of such taxes and sought to take over Air India assets when the government refused to honour the award and pay it $1.2 billion-plus interest and penalty.

3 Indian airlines to need Rs 50,000 cr for planes

3 Indian airlines to need Rs 50,000 cr for planes

Rediff.com13 Jul 2010

Three major domestic carriers -- Air India, Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways -- will together require around $10-12 billion (Rs 47,000-Rs 560,000 crore) over the next two-three years to fund their aircraft acquisition plans, an aviation think tank has said.

Let's revive Air India's lost glory: CMD to employees

Let's revive Air India's lost glory: CMD to employees

Rediff.com12 Sep 2015

Air India is a brand, a brand symbolising the nation, especially amongst the Indian diaspora and travellers overseas.

5 Air India pilots, 2 staff test positive for COVID-19

5 Air India pilots, 2 staff test positive for COVID-19

Rediff.com10 May 2020

Air India, which is operating flights to evacuate Indians stranded in foreign countries, have asked its pilots to undertake coronavirus test before they operate such flights.

Who's to be blamed for Air India's plight?

Who's to be blamed for Air India's plight?

Rediff.com12 Oct 2013

There had been sufficient warnings on Air India's state but the government failed to take action, former executive director Jitender Bhargava said.

Lebanon: Air India evacuates 1,400

Lebanon: Air India evacuates 1,400

Rediff.com26 Jul 2006

Air India to send certain employees on leave without pay

Air India to send certain employees on leave without pay

Rediff.com16 Jul 2020

Employees can be sent on LWP for six months or for a period of two years extendable up to five years, depending upon the following factors - suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, health of the employee, instance of non-availability of the employee for duty in the past as a result of ill health or otherwise and redundancy.

He is trying to turn Air India around

He is trying to turn Air India around

Rediff.com25 Mar 2017

'It is not as bad an airline as it is made out to be: We serve wonderful food, the leg space is more, our cabin crew is warm and friendly.' 'The customer needs to be apprised of these things.'

Air India gets govt's nod to sell its ground handling firm

Air India gets govt's nod to sell its ground handling firm

Rediff.com28 Nov 2018

It is Air India's only profitable subsidiary. In 2016-17, it clocked a profit of over Rs 33.4 crore, earning Rs 620 crore in revenues from its handling operations.

From Russia With Love

From Russia With Love

Rediff.com10 Oct 2025

Red Square and VDNKh easily rank among the most striking places I've visited -- both for their historical significance and architectural splendour.
My admiration for Russian culture, vision and ambition grew with every step as I clocked the miles, Nitin Sathe tells us after a visit to Moscow and St Petersburg.

Bird Group's ambitious plan to grab Air India's ground handling arm

Bird Group's ambitious plan to grab Air India's ground handling arm

Rediff.com16 Apr 2021

The promoter-brothers, distant cousins to IndiGo's Rahul Bhatia, are eyeing Air India's ground handling subsidiary to augment their aviation services business even as they make a big play in EVs.

Pak used 300-400 Turkish drones to target 36 places from Leh to Sir Creek

Pak used 300-400 Turkish drones to target 36 places from Leh to Sir Creek

Rediff.com9 May 2025

Colonel Sofiya Qureshi revealed that 300 to 400 drones were deployed across 36 locations, with several being shot down by Indian forces using both kinetic and non-kinetic methods.

Air-India to fly London-Ahmedabad

Air-India to fly London-Ahmedabad

Rediff.com5 Mar 2004

Air India to fly to Australia from August

Air India to fly to Australia from August

Rediff.com17 Jul 2013

With the launch of these services, Air India would become the first airline to operate the new Boeing-787 Dreamliner to the Australian continent, a spokesperson said.

'Why Would A Pilot Go And Touch The Switch?'

'Why Would A Pilot Go And Touch The Switch?'

Rediff.com14 Jul 2025

'The switch can't be shut off by an accidental brush of the hand, but needs effort, conscious physical action to operate it.' 'Was it the software of the aeroplane that caused the switch to turn off?' 'Was it the hardware of the aeroplane?' 'Was it both software and hardware put together?'

Air India hiring: 1 in 3 pilots fails psychological test

Air India hiring: 1 in 3 pilots fails psychological test

Rediff.com15 May 2015

The airline might find it difficult to fill posts.

For things to get normal, Indian airlines need to add 210 planes

For things to get normal, Indian airlines need to add 210 planes

Rediff.com30 Apr 2019

Else customers will face capacity shortages and high fares.

Air India makes history, lands in Israel using Saudi airspace

Air India makes history, lands in Israel using Saudi airspace

Rediff.com23 Mar 2018

The flight will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. While the inaugural flight AI 139 left at 6 pm (Indian time) on Thursday, the scheduled departure will be 4.50 pm (Indian time) from March 25 when the summer schedule comes into operation.

Air India pilots warn of 'industrial action' over wage cut

Air India pilots warn of 'industrial action' over wage cut

Rediff.com24 Dec 2020

Divestment-bound Air India's pilot unions have rejected the paltry five per cent rollback in their salary cuts and warned of "industrial action" if there is no "substantial" reversal in their paycuts. In a joint letter to Air India chairman and managing director Rajiv Bansal on Thursday, the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) and the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) said, "(The) pittance in the form of a five per cent decrease in the current wage cut is an outright insult, its sting magnified in light of our unwavering support and trust in this company." They said this "generosity" amounts to a reduction of about 3 per cent in the current gross pay cut for pilots. In April, Air India had reduced its pilots' salary by up to 70 per cent to partially offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its finances.

Why India's airlines are so often developing snags

Why India's airlines are so often developing snags

Rediff.com18 Jul 2022

With airlines reporting multiple technical malfunction incidents, aviation regulator DGCA on Monday said it conducted spot checks and found that there is an insufficient number of engineering personnel certifying planes of various carriers before their departure. Before each departure, an aircraft is checked and certified by an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME). The DGCA has now issued guidelines for airlines on the deployment of AME personnel and directed them to comply by July 28.

Hailstorm horror: IndiGo pilot's request to use Pak airspace rejected

Hailstorm horror: IndiGo pilot's request to use Pak airspace rejected

Rediff.com22 May 2025

An IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar encountered severe turbulence after a sudden hailstorm. The pilot requested permission from Lahore Air Traffic Control to use Pakistani airspace to avoid the turbulence, but the request was rejected. The flight, carrying over 220 passengers, including Trinamool Congress MPs, landed safely at Srinagar Airport. The incident is being investigated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Why Vacation Costs Are On The Rise

Why Vacation Costs Are On The Rise

Rediff.com8 Jul 2025

The primary drivers: Geopolitical disruptions inflating fuel and operational costs, and a surge in travel demand.

Brand Vistara Ends Its Journey

Brand Vistara Ends Its Journey

Rediff.com12 Nov 2024

Starting November 12, Vistara aircraft will be operated under the Air India banner, to be identified by a special four-digit flight code beginning with "2".

UK airspace closed; Air India postpones flights

UK airspace closed; Air India postpones flights

Rediff.com16 Apr 2010

Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways on Thursday cancelled their flights to London while Air India postponed its services to Toronto and London, which were to take off tonight as airspace was closed over several North European airports due to drifting ash from a volcano in Iceland.

IOC threatens to cut fuel supply to Air India

IOC threatens to cut fuel supply to Air India

Rediff.com15 Jul 2019

The disinvestment-bound carrier, which is incurring Rs 15 crore loss per day, has huge dues towards oil companies and Airports Authority of India, among others.