A decade after the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane, the chief Indian negotiator who engaged the hijackers blamed the then government for its 'diplomatic failure' in their inability to make the United States and the United Arab Emirates use their influence to help secure a quick release of the passengers.
The aviation regulator is investigating the incidents and both planes, with Pratt and Whitney engines, will fly only when cleared by it, the officials said.
Pakistani intelligence officials are tracing links between Times Square bombing plot suspect Faisal Shahzad and banned terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad, led by Maulana Masood Azhar. This search has led investigators to the sprawling, marble-floored Batha Mosque and a religious school in a crowded neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once the provincial headquarters of the JeM and was visited by the elusive Azhar, who was released from prison in 1999.
Air India will purchase 220 planes from Boeing for $34 billion, with an option to buy 70 more aircraft that could take the total transaction value to $45.9 billion, a deal that US President Joe Biden described as a "historic agreement". While announcing the Boeing-Air India deal on Tuesday, Biden also asserted that together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he was looking forward to deepen the ties between India and the US. As per an announcement from the White House, Boeing and Air India have reached an agreement under which the airline will purchase 190 B737 MAX, 20 B787, and 10 B777X for a total of 220 firm order valued at $34 billion at list price.
Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, the Taliban foreign minister when the Indian Airlines plane, IC-814, was hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in December 1999, tells Jyoti Malhotra that India should not look at Afghanistan through the Pakistani lens.
The Interpol on Tuesday released images of two Iranian men who used stolen passports to board a Malaysia Airlines plane that remains traceless since Saturday after taking off with 239 passengers aboard from Kuala Lumpur.
New airline Akasa Air on Thursday took delivery of the first 737 Max aircraft from Boeing in Seattle, USA, a statement said.
Former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra said on Thursday that senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union Home Minister L K Advani was aware of all the key decisions taken with regard to the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
The aircraft that took off from Kathmandu at 10:30 am crashed into the Seti river gorge, killing all four crew members and 68 passengers. One person on board the aircraft is still missing.
Tata Group-owned Air India has informed the Centre that aircraft lessors wish to set up their special purpose vehicles (SPVs) outside India since they aren't enthused about the Indian 'legal structure' and are loath to take risks. Indian airlines have a combined fleet of about 700 planes; over 85 per cent are on lease. A majority of lessors are based in Ireland due to its attractive tax policy, light-touch regulations, and swift legal system.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez on Monday inaugurated the Tata Advanced System Limited (TASL)-Airbus facility in Vadodara to manufacture C-295 military aircraft in India.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the aircraft had crashed into the mountains after it swerved to the right, instead of turning to the left due to inclement weather.
The Canadian Air Force aircraft is ferrying 191 stranded passengers of an Air India flight from Iqaluit airport has landed in Chicago.
Air India (AI)'s rise could be at the expense of three "super-connector" hubs - Doha in Qatar, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE - as the Indian passenger would any day prefer direct flights of their national airline that is providing excellent on-time service, Arved von zur Muehlen, chief commercial officer of Saudia Airlines, said on Thursday.
The missing plane could possibly be located on Monday after Nepal Telecom tracked down the cellphone of the airplane's pilot Captain Prabhakar Ghimire through the Global Positioning System network.
When asked about India's demand for extradition of Dawood Ibrahim, who New Delhi says is based in Pakistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani initially refused to comment saying he had 'not studied' the matter or been briefed on it. On being pressed and asked if his government would extradite Ibrahim if the Indian government made a good case, Gilani said, that he had kept an open mind, and that the onus was on India to provide 'authentic proof' in this regard.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Rajnath Singh on Friday refused to speak on dvani''s role in the Kandahar hijack. " I refuse to say anything on the Advani issue," said Singh.
Breaking his decade-long silence, former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh on Friday sought to embarrass L K Advani by saying that he "covered" up for him when he said that the former Home Minister was not aware that he was going to Kandahar with three terrorists during the 1999 hijack episode.
The ministry of civil aviation has initiated a probe into the incident. It would look into the records of conversations between the ATC and the pilots.
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.
Indian Airlines on Wednesday decided to dry-lease 12 wide-bodied aircraft between this October and March next year to launch services to new international routes and augment services to the existing ones.
Personal information such as name, gender, email address and phone numbers of some Akasa Air passengers has been leaked to "unauthorised individuals", the airline stated on Sunday. India's newest carrier said it self-reported this incident to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team CERT-In, which is the government-authorised nodal agency tasked to deal with matters of this nature. However, Akasa Air asserted that there was no "intentional hacking attempt, but that the situation was reported by a research expert through a journalist for which we are grateful".
How can you and I fight this undeclared war against India?
According to an air traffic controller at Jomsom Airport, they was an unconfirmed report about a loud noise reported in the Ghasa region of Jomsom, according to the Post report.
The missing Malaysia Airlines plane with 239 people on board, including five Indians, crashed in remote southern Indian Ocean with no survivors and their families have been informed, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced on Monday, 17 days after the jet vanished mysteriously.
External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh arrived in Tehran on a 3-day visit on Friday, marking New Delhi's first high-level political contact with Iran's new government.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Kamini Lau also asked the assistant commisioner of police to give four-day notices to the four accused before asking them to join the investigation.
The court asked the commissioner to furnish report regarding investigation against all the accused who have returned to India after serving jail terms in Pakistan.
This is the third incident of technical malfunction on a Go First aircraft in two days.
For the first time in 13 years, since Jet Airways' A330 planes exited the airline's fleet in around 2010, an Indian wide-body aircraft will have a Rolls-Royce-powered engine, with Air India ordering 40 Airbus A350 planes. On Tuesday, Air India announced its mega aircraft order for 470 aircraft, including A350 planes. The A350 aircraft, which will come in two variants, are powered solely by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and the local team has begun work to assist Air India with its aircraft-induction plans.
The team would be questioning Abdul Lateef, Dilip Bhuel and Yousuf Nepali.
The airline needs at least Rs 1,000 crore to fly again.
Full-service airline Tata-SIA, submitted its application for the grant of Air Operator's Permit (AOP or flying license) in April.
On Indian routes, Air France, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are offering premium economy seating
Life of air passengers was different in the 1970s.
The plane that took off from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates carrying 303 Indian passengers, including many minors, was grounded at the Chalons-Vatry airport in Marne on Thursday.
The threats via microblogging platform X came a day after three international flights originating from Mumbai received bomb threats, causing trouble to hundreds of passengers and airline crew.
Grounded Indian planes will be up in air by end of April says company president
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