Anticipating a weak demand in the traditionally lean January-March period, most domestic airlines on Tuesday reduced fares massively after no-frills carrier SpiceJet announced a steep 50 per cent discount on base fares and fuel surcharges across sectors.
It is clear that foreign airlines have realised the growth possibilities of the Indian aviation sector and are keenly interested, the minister said.
Will build on its existing strengths. Plans to include more fuel-efficient A-320 N and offer better connectivity.
'Our focus is not going to be metro to metro routes.' 'We will begin by focusing on metro to non-metro (routes).' 'Metro to tier-2 cities or tier-3 cities is where there is a lot of space for affordable, efficient carriers.'
The future certainly looks good for Bangalore.
Only two no-frill carriers, IndiGo and SpiceJet, have applied for permission for more flights from the DGCA this season than they did last year, official sources said, adding that other airlines have scaled down the number of flights they wish to operate this year.
In August, IndiGo makes its international debut with a nine-aircraft fleet to fly to destinations in Southeast Asia and West Asia.
As photographs and video clips were distributed on social media, aviation security watchdog BCAS issued show cause notices to IndiGo and Mumbai airport operator MIAL over the incident, official sources said on Tuesday.
A total of 406 aircraft are in the fleet of eight scheduled airlines in the country, most of which were suffering losses, Lok Sabha was informed.
Navi Mumbai airport's construction is facing delays, and is likely to commence commercial operations in 2025 instead of 2024, aviation consultancy firm CAPA has said in a report. When asked about this matter, the Adani Group told Business Standard that the Navi Mumbai airport project is "being executed as per scheduled implementation plan and will be operational by the original target date of December, 2024, without any delay". Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), responsible for both the construction and operation of the airport, is a subsidiary of the Adani Group.
Market leader IndiGo on Friday followed its rivals and raised fares by 25 per cent to offset the impact of rupee fall and spike in international crude prices.
Low-cost carrier SpiceJet's share price went up 9.5 per cent at the Bombay Stock Exchange today in an otherwise flat market fuelled by speculation that the airline was in merger talks with another Delhi-based low-cost carrier, IndiGo.
The Aircraft Acquisition Committee of the civil aviation ministry, which approved the IndiGo request in principle, also gave similar approval to a proposal of the Chennai-based business class airline Paramount Airways to acquire 10 aircraft from the Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier and European ATR, official sources said.
The 28-member Kerala Strikers team, en route to Hyderabad to participate in the ongoing Celebrity Cricket League, were on Friday deplaned from an Indigo Airlines Kochi-Hyderabad flight for alleged misbehaviour with the crew.
Even if you assume a higher return fare of Rs 40,000, the yield will still be lower than the costs.
Airbus claims the new aircraft is 15 per cent more fuel efficient than the exiting versions of A320
Vistara has entered a country that has been sobered down to reality.
In a bid to cash in on upcoming summer holiday season, low-cost carriers SpiceJet and IndiGo on Tuesday launched the fourth round of price war in the bleeding aviation sector, offering massive discounts on tickets.
Domestic carriers flew 28 per cent more people last month compared to a year ago, as no-frill carrier IndiGo remained the market leader by cornering 28 per cent share.
Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal - the founders of IndiGo - will possibly face each other with deep mistrust, which the board chairman, M Damodaran, will attempt to defuse.
The airline is gearing up to come out with an initial public offer.
'Domestic will remain very much the core of what IndiGo is.' 'But the emphasis in our next growth phase is going to be on the international side.'
Airlines are now pushing up fares and hopes to improve margins over the next three months to make up for the poor September quarter, even if it leads to a slight fall in their passenger load factor.
Qatar Airways is keen to buy equity in IndiGo if the Indian carrier offers 49 per cent stake to it, a top official has said as he sought the opening up of the Indian aviation market for established airline companies.
Putting the lives of passengers in danger, an IndiGo aircraft flew close to the road running parallel to the Jaipur airport runway in February.
The Tata Group-owned Air India has readied a five-year transformation plan, which is expected to take its domestic market share to 30 per cent, up from 8.4 per cent logged in June. IndiGo leads with a market share of 58.8 per cent. The transformation plan--Vihaan.AI-unveiled on Thursday revolves around tripling the domestic market share with investments in new aircraft, technology and improvements in customer service.
The presence of an engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in India could have prevented Go First airline from going "belly up", as sending engines abroad for servicing is not an efficient way to operate a carrier, Piyush Srivastava, senior economic advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said in a statement on Tuesday. On May 3, Go First suspended its flights and filed for insolvency, squarely blaming engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (PW) for its cash crunch. The airline claimed that about half of its 54 aircraft were grounded on May 3 due to a delay in the supply of engines by the US-based company. PW has denied the charges.
An executive of a private airline said even though volume picked up, it will be difficult for airlines to make money as fares have remained low even during festive season.
To fill seats, airlines have resorted to fare wars following the adverse impact on ticket sales, reports Arindam Majumder.
SpiceJet says tickets in three day sale will be 75 per cent lower than last minute purchase fares.
India's domestic air passenger traffic nearly doubled to 1.25 crore in January compared to 64.08 lakh recorded in the year-ago period, according to official data released on Monday. In January, IndiGo saw its domestic market share decline for the fifth consecutive month at 54.6 per cent. It carried 68.47 lakh passengers last month.
For Air India and Jet Airways, airspace closure over Pakistan would mean flights to US and Europe will have to take a longer route.
Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Wednesday said it will add 14 new Airbus A320 aircraft in its existing fleet of 38 in 2011-12 as it gets ready to launch its international operations in August-September.
InterGlobe has raised Rs 3,008.5 crore.
India's largest airline has also told its crew members -- who are working on flights connecting India with East Asian countries like Thailand and Singapore -- to wear N95 masks at all times when they are on ground.
During the January-July period, passenger growth jumped 21.13 per cent to 455.78 lakh.
According to the new billing system, travel agents will have to make payment to airlines within seven days.
Strong passenger growth will help domestic airlines improve their top line and margins.
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IndiGo, which has about 550 flights a day, has increased the number of daily flights from Delhi to Hyderabad and Chennai to seven.
The only two truly successful private airlines in India - Jet Airways and IndiGo - have been set up and run by people who knew the ins and outs of the trade well before they took to the skies.
