Consider this: despite a traffic of over 130 million passengers flying international-to-international (I2I) routes per annum over India, only one-sixth of the long-haul traffic (26 million) emanates from the country.
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.
It also recommended fixing of responsibility on 'agencies and individuals' who took such a 'whimsical' decision and sought 'suitable action' to prevent such 'intangible loss' being caused to a state-run company.
Indian airlines will operate a total of 23,732 flights every week during the winter schedule, which is more than 8 per cent higher than the year-ago period, amid rising air traffic demand. The winter schedule 2023 -- effective from October 29 to March 30 next year -- for the scheduled carriers has been approved by aviation regulator DGCA. Go First, which stopped flying from May 3 and is undergoing an insolvency resolution process, will not be having any operations during the winter schedule.
So far this week, more than 90 flights have received bomb threats and most of them have turned out to be hoaxes.
While Smit Machchhar is rightly being lauded as a hero, the curious thing is that the name of the Omani copilot responsible for this attempt to hijack or crash the aircraft has been withheld. His name and face should have been splashed all over the international media. This was not done and it therefore raises legitimate suspicion. Is it possible that his involvement could expose some powerful entity? Could it point to a blatant intelligence failure that would have left certain powers shamefaced? Could it be that he may have revealed things that could prove severely damaging to certain vested interests? asks Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
SpiceJet recorded the highest complaint rate per 10,000 passengers, rising sharply from 3.9 in November 2024 to 13.8 in October 2025.
The Canadian Air Force aircraft is ferrying 191 stranded passengers of an Air India flight from Iqaluit airport has landed in Chicago.
The former beat Air India while the latter got the better of Bharat Petroleum in the semi-finals of the Shastri hockey tournament.\n\n
The Tata-owned airlines said that 169 Indians, 53 British, 1 Canadian and 7 Portuguese were on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
Amid mounting safety concerns and the cancellation of at least 66 flights that were to be operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, DGCA officials held a detailed review meeting with top Air India and Air India Express executives.
Neither anyone from the airline (Air India), nor from the government has contacted them so far, he said.
As international investigations intensify into the mid-air security scare aboard the Flydubai flight, Israel's i24 News reported that an Emirati source has revealed that among the belongings of the Omani co-pilot were leaflets and publications from "Free Palestine" groups, alongside pro-Palestinian material.
Air India has covered a lot of ground since privatisation and its global coverage will further increase in the years ahead, the airline's chief Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday. He also said the interior refit of the single-aisle fleet, serving domestic and short-haul international destinations, is underway, and will be completed by mid-2025.
Aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan claims human error led to the Air India plane crash and calls for more transparency in the AAIB's preliminary report.
IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet are opposing the government's directive to offer 60% of seats for free selection, arguing it will lead to increased airfares to compensate for lost revenue.
The Indian government disclosed that 176 aircraft operated by non-scheduled and general aviation operators lack flight data and cockpit voice recorders, raising safety concerns. The disclosure was made in response to a query in the Rajya Sabha.
Private carrier Air India on Monday announced placing an order to purchase 100 more Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 wide-body A350 and 90 narrow-body A320 family aircraft including A321neo.
About 1,500 employees of various departments took part in the rally.
India's aviation sector is facing fresh turbulence, with rising fuel costs, the Ministry of Civil Aviation's free-seat directive, and geopolitical disruptions in West Asia clouding near-term earnings visibility.
In little over a year, Air India and IndiGo have announced plans to purchase up to 170 wide-body planes as they bet on ambitious expansion and efforts also continue to make India a global aviation hub. Also, the two carriers' orders usher in European aircraft maker Airbus into the country's wide-body space, which has traditionally been dominated by US major Boeing. If narrow-body aircraft orders of Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air are added to the list, the order book is well over 1,200 planes and that too in less than 14 months or since February 2023.
Known for his jovial and kind nature, Neeraj left a lasting impression on his neighbours in Akola, which is why the news of his passing devastated the entire town, even though many had not seen him in years.
Brazilian aerospace company Embraer has secured type certification from India's aviation regulator, DGCA, for three of its commercial jets (E195-E2, E190, and E195). This approval, alongside an existing certification for its E175 jet, paves the way for Embraer to expand its presence in India's regional aviation market, supported by a strategic MoU with Adani Defence & Aerospace for a Final Assembly Line in Dholera, Gujarat.
The mega-merger of state-run carriers Air India and Indian received the final government nod on Thursday, with the Union Cabinet giving a go ahead to the proposal of the Group of Ministers in this regard.
In about a fortnight, Vistara - known for its premium service - will take off on its final flight before merging into the legacy of Air India. Set for November 12, the merger has sparked discussions on how these two distinct brands will blend.
On Friday, the Alaska Airlines plane's outer section, including a window, fell off mid-air.
Amid concerns over alleged poaching of pilots, Air India told Akasa Air that petitioning a competitor to collude in restricting the rights of staff to change an employer could potentially violate the competition law. Air India CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson wrote a letter to Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube against the backdrop of Akasa Air raising concerns about Air India Express hiring pilots from the airline. The letter, dated September 21, followed a letter by Dube to Tata Sons on September 11.
Under the proposal, if a foreign carrier does not operate flights to a particular Indian airport for 'four consecutive IATA seasons', the regulator may suspend that airport authorisation.
TN rallied to beat Air India while Indian Airlines got the better of BSF in the quarter-finals of the Nehru hockey tournament.
Indian carrier Vistara on Monday announced voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and voluntary separation scheme (VSS) for its permanent ground staff ahead of its merger with Air India, which had announced similar plans for its non-flying permanent staff two weeks ago.
Nepal is grappling with the devastating aftermath of flash floods, with the death toll reaching 1,356 and nearly 5,000 people, including foreign nationals, still missing. Identification of bodies is a major challenge, with only a fraction identified so far. President Ramchandra Paudel has appealed for climate justice and national unity for relief efforts. International teams, including experts from India and China, are assisting in search and rescue, particularly at hydropower projects where workers are trapped. The country is also working to restore infrastructure and reassure tourists to protect its vital autumn tourism season.
As the majority of Pakistani airspace has remained closed for Indian airlines since the Balakot strike on February 26, the decision to avoid affected Iranian airspace on Saturday is going to further disturb the routes of their international flights towards middle-eastern and European countries, and the US.
'All they need is proper leadership.'
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to release its preliminary report this week on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which resulted in the deaths of at least 260 people. The investigation is ongoing, with the help of foreign experts, and the black box and voice recorder data are being analyzed.
Though India's airlines are certainly bleeding, they haven't yet faced the ignominy of shutting down.
The unions claimed that wrong policy decisions of the previous government, poor practices, lack of accountability and general mismanagement by top administration and allowing private carriers to flourish at the cost of Air India were some of the factors for the current state-of-affairs
Tata Sons on Thursday announced the appointment of Campbell Wilson as chief executive officer and managing director of Air India. Wilson is the founding CEO of low-cost airline Scoot.
'They are claiming that they are very good in governance. All governments do propaganda. This is the propaganda of the government that they are doing very well, in spite of all the troubles.'
'They are claiming that they are very good in governance. All governments do propaganda. This is the propaganda of the government that they are doing very well, in spite of all the troubles.'
