Airlines have to deal with high operating costs - fuel, taxation, airport charges - in a very competitive environment.
In a major initiative to strengthen the cash-strapped aviation sector, a group of ministers on Tuesday decided to allow airlines to directly import jet fuel to enable them save on high incidence of tax and permit Air India to raise Rs 7,400 crore (Rs 74 billion) by issuing bonds or other means.
Seeking to further democratise air travel with dependable and affordable services, airline Akasa Air is aiming to start flights in late May or early June after getting its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in April. Bullish on the long term growth potential of the country's civil aviation sector, ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed carrier is looking to have 18 planes in its fleet by the end of March 2023. Despite COVID clouds continuing to cast a shadow on the airlines, Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube is more than optimistic as he asserted that "if you look at the long term future of commercial aviation in India, it is as exciting as anywhere in the world".
Users jocularly wondered if the name of institutions such as the Indian Space Research Organisation, the Reserve Bank of India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India will be changed.
Confronted with competition, state-run logistics companies are opting for joint ventures among themselves and with the private sector.
Amber Dubey explains why India needs to stop blocking competition if it ever wants to become the top aviation market.
Go First chief executive officer Kaushik Khona and tribunal-appointed interim resolution professional Abhilash Lal on Thursday reached out to the airline's staff, seeking their support for revival. While Khona said the company had taken all steps for the airline's revival, Lal put forward the view it would have to raise funds. Employee engagement took place a day after the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted the airline's insolvency plea on Wednesday and ordered a moratorium on recoveries.
Two of the largest airlines, Jet Airways and Air India, have decided to stop absorbing the surcharge on payments by agents made through credit cards.
.jpg)
IndiGo, which has about 550 flights a day, has increased the number of daily flights from Delhi to Hyderabad and Chennai to seven.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to share images of the evacuees after their arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
German airliner Lufthansa has no plans to bid for equity in either Air-India or Indian Airlines as a counter to Air France-KLM mega merger, its executive vice-president Thierry Antinori said in New Delhi on Friday.
The move comes after the government rejected its plan to operate 20 flights a week.
Airfares in Indian market are unsustainable, says a senior Boeing official.
With its nominees on the board, Tata Sons will have the controlling stake of 51%.
Indian Airlines had to pay the amount as compensation to a British firm for aborting a pilot training contract. UK-based Storm Aviation was to train 66 pilots over the first three months of the term that cost pound 11,380 per candidate. However, IA discontinued the training after the first batch of 10 pilots. Storm Aviation filed a lawsuit demanding about pound 500,000 in compensation; IA settled out of court by paying pound 350,000.
Only a 5-year-old airline with 20 planes is allowed to fly abroad.
This is the third instance in the last three days when the aviation regulator grounded a plane after an incident.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram has supported Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh's suggestion on doing away with a rule that bars Indian carriers from flying abroad unless they complete five years of service and own a 20-aircraft fleet.
Airline wants to fly to West Asia, Southeast Asia.
Or else customers will face capacity shortages and high fares.
India had threatened to stop Swiss, which, as the designated airline of that country, 'violated' a vital clause called the substantial ownership and effective control, mandated under the bilateral air services agreement between the two countries.
A senior police officer said based on the complaint of the victim given to the Air India, a case has been registered under the the Indian Penal Code and the Aircraft Rules.
Malaysia's budget airline AirAsia, which is eyeing more routes to India, China and Singapore, has said the country's aviation sector must be open to competition to ensure passenger growth. \n
Among the five Indian nationals, four had just arrived in Kathmandu from India on Friday.
One lesson the government should learn from the Air India-Indian Airlines merger fiasco is that combining two sick people ends up making them sicker.
There is enough room for growth in smaller Indian towns as per US and European aircraft manufacturers
Government to ask airlines to educate flyers. 'It will be an exhaustive charter which will tell the passenger about all their rights, like whether they are eligible for a refund when there is a delay in flight, what to do in case of a flight delay and other in-flight etiquette.'
Travel bubbles, also called travel bridges or green corridors, do away with the waiting period for travellers from certain countries. They are reciprocal in nature, meaning flyers from both countries will enjoy similar benefits.
Most airlines lose 30 pilots a year. Vistara has lost only 2 in 18 months.
The diplomatic rift between India and Maldives, coupled with the suspension of flight bookings on one of India's major travel portals, has sent jitters down the spine of tour operators in the island nation. The Maldivian Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO), a forum for travel agents, has stressed that the Indian market is important to the success of tourism in Maldives.
Air India CMD Vasudevan Thulasidas said the combined entity will have a change management consultant which will enable employees to be IT-savvy.
Government-owned Air India has constituted a committee to implement the recommendations of the Dharmadhikari committee report on the pay and promotion structure of its staff.
Asserting that it was a small conflict, Gaikwad said the staff member of the airline is mad and around eight such cases of indulging in a brawl have been registered against him.
The last commercial flight between India and Afghanistan was operated by Air India on Kabul-Delhi route on August 15, the day Kabul fell to the Taliban.
With 337 more persons arriving on Friday, Air India has brought over 1,600 Indians from quake-hit Japan and has carried over 25 tonnes of relief material, including 20,000 blankets, to that country.
Industrial disputes dropped 89.3 per cent to 34 in 2022 compared to 318 a decade ago, shows central and state data.
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.
The passengers included 10 foreigners, according to the state-run Nepal Television.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances