'They are saying that there is a pilot shortage which is not correct, but if it was true, did they suddenly come to know this on December 5?' 'If they didn't have crew, why did they seek approval for a winter schedule? To get the approval, the operator has to show crew strength and also a buffer of crew available.' 'If they had a crew crunch, why did they ask for extra flights? Or was it something else that made them so sure that they would get away with this exemption and bans?'
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
Taking a serious note of the situation, the civil aviation ministry said it has invoked regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes.
According to the latest data from the aviation regulator DGCA, IndiGo and Air India did not cancel any flights, while Air India Express cancelled four flights due to the system modification process.
Where was the Board when a predictable regulatory change brought the country's largest airline to its knees? asks Dr Sudhir Bisht.
'Where rostering systems are automated and duty time software interfaces directly with DGCA, the assertion that they suddenly discovered crew shortages is simply implausible.' 'If adequate crew planning hasn't materialised within 12 to 24 months from inception, how will 45 days -- from December 5 to February 12 -- suddenly resolve matters?'
The Sikkim government has announced the opening of Doka-La and Cho-La battlefields for domestic tourists starting October 1, under the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative. Strict guidelines for security and environmental protection will be in place.
Civil aviation authorities have directed Turkish Airlines to ensure 'full compliance' with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regulations, an official statement said on Wednesday.
Authorities will conduct a survey of the areas surrounding the Ahmedabad airport, in the wake of last week's Air India plane crash that claimed 270 lives, to check whether any structures were violating height norms and posing a threat to aircraft safety, an official said on Thursday.
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.
Around one-fifth of 143 airports handling only domestic flights recorded an average of two or fewer aircraft movements a day between April and November 2025, according to data from the Airports Authority of India
The Delhi High Court dismissed Turkish-based firm Celebi's challenge to the revocation of its security clearance by aviation watchdog BCAS in the "interest of national security."
Aviation watchdog DGCA has granted IndiGo a six-month extension to operate two leased Boeing 777 aircraft from Turkish Airlines, subject to certain conditions. This decision comes after a previous extension and amidst geopolitical considerations.
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner experienced an uncommanded deployment of its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) shortly before landing. The DGCA is investigating the incident, raising safety concerns.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is 'totally unbiased' and is carrying out a definitive and thorough rule-based probe to find out what exactly led to the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people last month, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said in Rajya Sabha on Monday.
The civil aviation ministry reports six aircraft engine shutdown incidents and three May Day calls in India this year. The Air India plane crash investigation is ongoing, with all aspects being examined.
The truth about what triggered the fatal crash of the Dreamliner should not only help bring the guilty to book, but also outline the future course of action in aviation safety, notes Nivedita Mookerji.
A major fire erupted at the cargo complex of Dhaka's international airport, leading to the suspension of all flight operations. Firefighting units are battling the blaze, with no immediate reports of casualties.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged the government to order a judicial probe into the Air India Dreamliner crash that killed 260 people, alleging that the ongoing investigation is "compromised" and should be halted.
Aviation regulator DGCA has issued four show cause notices to Air India for various violations related to cabin crew rest and duty norms, cabin crew training rules and operational procedures, a month after the airline made certain voluntary disclosures to the watchdog.
The process of identification of victims by matching the DNA samples is currently underway, and the bodies will be handed over to their relatives once the process is complete.
It added that as per international protocols under the International Civil Aviation Organisation, all information on the investigation will be provided by the government of India.
The Supreme Court has raised concerns about the preliminary report on the Air India crash and has asked for a more independent and thorough investigation.
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.
SpiceJet on Sunday said a senior Army officer, who was to board a flight to Delhi, assaulted four airline ground staffers at the Srinagar airport on July 26, and one of them suffered a spinal fracture.
The trial of Abu Jundal, accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is set to resume after the Bombay High Court overturned a lower court order requiring authorities to hand over confidential documents to the accused.
Air India's ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12 underwent comprehensive maintenance checks in June 2023 and was due for the next scheduled comprehensive checks in December this year, according to airline officials.
'The black box is very much in India and it it currently being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau'
An Arunachal Pradesh woman was allegedly detained at Shanghai airport for nearly 18 hours after Chinese immigration officials refused to recognise her Indian passport, claiming Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.
An Air India plane from Kochi veered off the runway at the Mumbai airport on Monday morning, and the aircraft has been grounded for checks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met those injured in the Air India plane crash at the civil hospital in Ahmedabad.
One of the major concerns highlighted by the DGCA was about the fact that not all staff had completed mandatory fatigue management training.
The Indian government has introduced a next-generation e-passport with enhanced security features, including an embedded RFID chip, to combat forgery and impersonation. The rollout follows successful pilot testing and implementation across India and abroad.
Under the civil aviation ministry, AAIB is responsible for the classification of safety occurrences, involving aircraft operating in the Indian airspace into accidents and serious incidents.
Former Union Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju appointed as the Governor of Goa, Kavinder Gupta named as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, and Ashim Kumar Ghosh will be the new Governor of Haryana.
Of these, as many as seven are Level-1 violations, which are considered critical safety risks and require immediate corrective action by the air operator, they said.
A control room has also been set up in Ahmedabad and the numbers are 9978405304/079-23251900.
'In the inspections, no issues were found with the said locking mechanism.'
An Air India flight bound for Indore made an emergency landing in Delhi after a fire indication in one of its engines. All passengers are safe and being transferred to another aircraft.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase 1 of the 19,650 crore (196.50 billion) Navi Mumbai International Airport, marking a major milestone in India's aviation infrastructure. Conceived as the country's largest greenfield airport project, the facility has been developed under the public-private partnership model and will function as the second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, easing pressure on the congested Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The new airport is expected to significantly improve air connectivity for Mumbai and its adjoining regions, catalyse economic growth in Navi Mumbai and Raigad districts, and serve as a key hub for passenger and cargo traffic in western India.
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