The vertical separation between Air India flight IC-941 from Hyderabad to Delhi and Kingfisher Airlines' Delhi-to-Bhubaneshwar flight IT-3345 came down to 700 feet as against the required 1,000 feet when they were manoeuvring over Delhi airspace.
Domestic and international airfares are set to rise by 5 per cent beginning October as the travel agents prepare ground to recover 5 per cent commission on the base fare: Amount parted to them by airlines for booking tickets on their distribution systems from consumers.
Premier airlines, British Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, are likely to announce a codeshare agreement next month which would facilitate seamless travel for passengers, who can also enjoy benefits while travelling on each other's networks.
The parent entity, (Holdings) Ltd, have also expressed concern over the company's significant exposure to the airline.
India's private carrier Kingfisher Airlines, which placed orders for 30 Airbus A320 aircraft worth $1.9 billion at the ongoing Dubai Air Show, has said the carrier would go public to finance the deal.
The domestic air travel in the first three months of this year witnessed a sharp fall with the number of passengers carried declining by almost 12 per cent over the same period last year.
The inactivity of Go First may help other airlines in India's competitive market as it had a 7.8 per cent market share.
The auditors, B K Ramadhyani & Co, questioned the accounting method used by the airline to calculate costs incurred on maintenance and repair of aircraft.
Life of air passengers was different in the 1970s.
Giving an idea of the scale of its ambitions, the four-month-old airline recently placed an order for 50 aircraft even as the sector is struggling.
The recent spate of technical glitches in aircraft has prompted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue an order on July 18, making aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs) with category B1/B2 licences the final authorities in certifying planes. This has put the spotlight on the availability of such personnel. According to the order, airlines were resorting to frequent one-off authorisation by the Category A certifying staff at transit stations, which is not in line with existing regulatory provisions.
In reply to a question in Rajya Sabha as to whether Air India was eyeing Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) saving via direct fuel import, the Minister said, "AI has not yet decided about import of Air Turbine Fuel directly.
Six years after running down the low-cost model, Jet and Kingfisher are betting on the same business model for survival.
At a meeting with airline chief executive officers and top officials here, the Civil Aviation Ministry also decided to amend Aircraft Act and Rules to safeguard the interests of aircraft leasing companies, many of which have started imposing stringent conditions for leasing planes to Indian carriers in the aftermath of Kingfisher Airlines shutting down.
The government on Tuesday said the major private domestic airlines owed over Rs 274 crore (Rs 2.74 billion) to the Airports Authority of India for availing its services.
Stressful work schedules and limited growth opportunities are taking a toll on a large number of senior professionals in airlines.
IndiGo was the only airline to have reported profits during this period, barring 2011-12 when it made a loss of about Rs 88 crore (Rs 880 million.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recommended giving financial autonomy to Air India Charters Ltd (AICL), the company which runs Air India Express, the low-cost brand of Air India operating in the international sector.
In the previous decade, the government, with Praful Patel as the civil aviation minister, saw the introduction of an irrational 5/20 policy.
Jet, Kingfisher rebuff Praful Patel, budget carriers reduce fares. As of now, though, the two private airlines remain steadfast in their refusal to cut fares even as Patel's pleas acquire a hint of aggression.
Says market share will further increase after induction of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and flights to new destinations.
IndiGo was set up in 2006 by businessman Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal, a former CEO for US Airways Group.
No-frills carrier Go First filing for insolvency proceedings and cancelling flights is bad for the airline industry as the move will reduce capacity and could push airfares in certain routes, travel agents' grouping TAAI said on Wednesday.
State Bank of India and Kingfisher Airlines on Monday launched a e-ticketing initiative for air travellers.
All long-haul flights between India and Britain, the United States, Canada as well as some other European cities were cancelled or indefinitely delayed on Friday as airspace remained closed over several North European airports due to drifting ash from a volcano in Iceland.
Goa's second airport began operations last week and if all goes according to plans, the state will be the base for a new regional airline, Fly91. Promoted by the ex-executive vice-president of now grounded Kingfisher Airlines, Manoj Chacko, and Fairfax India's former head, Harsha Raghavan, the airline will offer no-frills buy on board product and serve unconnected routes with two ATR 72 aircraft. An application for the initial no-objection clearance was filed with the civil aviation ministry last week.
It was not a smooth sailing for the Indian aviation industry in 2012 as it saw the grounding of Kingfisher Airlines and financial trouble hitting Air India and other carriers besides a prestigious $500 million airport upgrade contract bagged by a leading Indian infra firm being terminated by the Maldives government.
The first to take off will be Air Pegasus, promoted by Bengaluru-based ground-handling firm Deccor Aviation.
The government is keeping its options open.
Budget expectations aviation sector.
Several passengers have been complaining on social media as domestic airlines have decided not to give refunds in cash for cancelled flights due to the lockdown and instead issue credit for future travel.
Even low cost carriers IndiGo, Paramount Airways are now in talks to join the Jet Airways-Kingfisher Airlines alliance to cut costs. After Kingfisher took over Air Deccan, fares have gone up steadily. Other low cost carriers have also hiked fares.
The airline would offer Re 1 ticket to a few passengers through a lucky draw as part of its promotional campaign.
In a dramatic turn of events in May 2019, an Emirates aircraft en-route to Dubai was asked to stop while it was taxiing for a take off in Mumbai. The pilot was given no reason and ordered to immediately return to the parking bay. As the aircraft returned to the terminal, two passengers from the first class - Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita - were offloaded by the immigration authorities, who said the duo cannot leave the country. Goyal, founder of Jet Airways, was stunned. The man, who ruled the aviation sector for two and a half decades with an iron hand, did not expect to be offloaded in this fashion.
The Kingfisher House has a built-up area of over 17,000 sq ft and is located in plush Vile Parle area near domestic airport in Mumbai.
Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said, "full service airlines earlier used to offer five per cent commission to travel agents on basic fare." "From November 1, 2008, Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher abolished the agency commission and introduced transaction fee model... (however) Jet and Kingfisher have started paying commission on basic fare and fuel surcharge.
With this, India joins 60 other countries that collect PNR details of international passengers.
In a sudden development, DGCA chief E K Bharat Bhushan was on Tuesday removed as head of the aviation regulator with immediate effect, six days after his tenure was extended till this year end.
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