The intellectual vacuum that the government is often accused of is more than evident in the policy draft.
At least 20 to 30 departures are being cancelled daily from metros and key airports including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
The first set of routes that it will launch internationally will be the routes that can be flown by its existing aircraft, the A320s, which will be routes within three, three-and-a-half hours of India
Indian airports have been at a disadvantage because of high taxes, cumbersome visa and foreign exchange norms, losing out to peers in the Gulf.
Events to keep an eye out for...
National carrier Air India became part of the 27-member global airlines grouping Star Alliance, as budget airline AirAsia India launched operations and Tata-SIA joint venture carrier Vistara received the flying permit and announced its intentions to start operations from January 9.
The biggest challenge is not the airline's debt, but downsizing its 16,800 employees, says Surajeet Dasgupta.
The airline has closed reservation for flights to Silchar, Imphal, Aizawl, Jorhat in northeastern states from mid-February. Reservation has also been closed for flights to Madurai, Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Muscat and Sharjah.
Indian and global airlines such as SpiceJet, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic among others too are marketing Covid-19 insurance products to attract passengers.
The inaugural flight took off in the presence of Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mahesh Sharma, along with a number of other people.
Norms limiting airlines' stake in SPVs managing airports to hurt Tatas.
In a circular, the DGCA stated, "Universal screening of all the passengers coming in flights directly from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore besides the flights from China and Hong Kong shall be ensured immediately once they step out of the specific identified aerobridge."
Tata-SIA will kick off with full-service domestic operations.
Railway employees including station masters, engine drivers, ticket checkers, etc too have been selected for vaccination and their list is being compiled for the exercise.
Karnataka-based IT professional Prabha Arun Kumar who was stabbed to death in Australia was on Sunday cremated amid poignant scenes at her native Amtoor.
Several countries like the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Singapore have already banned travellers from India as well as other South Asian countries.
The year gone by has also forced all airlines to turn the lens sharply on their own costs, workings and internal dynamics, opening their eyes to their vulnerabilities. Fewer, leaner, nimbler players will emerge from the carnage.
Sources in the know confirmed Vistara, the joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, had booked six slots at the airport in New Delhi, adding it was ready to fly once it secured the government's nod.
It's too big to digest as one whole airline.'
The Centre had on Thursday asked all states and union territories to conduct rigorous screening and testing of all international travellers coming from or transiting through South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana, where the B.1.1.529 variant has been detected.
Indigo, the largest player in the domestic aviation space, cannot afford to ignore new entrant Vistara.
The Dangal actor alleged, in an Instagram video, that a middle-aged man sitting behind her on the flight tried to molest her.
Indian airlines currently are required to have a minimum fleet of five aircraft and five years of operational experience for starting international services.
Vistara will have to face stiff competition from Jet Airways, AirAsia
The airline informed the ministry that it would operate 75 planes by April-end.
Six Covid-19 cases were reported on Wednesday after screening 3,476 passengers of 11 flights that arrived in India from "at-risk" countries and the samples have been sent for genomic sequencing, the Health Ministry said amid concerns over the 'Omicron' variant of coronavirus.
Vistara is trying to be leaner and meaner, while staying focused on the original brand promise; it aims to be profitable by FY21. Arindam Majumder reports.
'There are smaller cities, which are very attractive to fly'.
'The pay cuts have been very tough on those with entire families to support.'
Vistara reported a passenger load factor of 45.4 per cent.
Dining and drinking out will be expensive.
"A passenger, who had a COVID-positive certificate dated September 2, travelled on Air India Express' Jaipur-Dubai flight on September 4. A similar incident had happened with a passenger on one of the airline's other Dubai flights previously," said one of the officials.
Initiating a fare war on global routes, Qatar Airways and Singaporean budget carrier Tigerair have announced massive limited-period discounts hoping to corner a chunk of the Indian travel market share.
Enormous debt isn't the only thing afflicting Air India. Its work culture is an equal culprit in its downfall.
Singapore-based Tigerair has terminated its passenger swapping pact with Spicejet over a year after the two budget carriers forged the inter-line arrangements.
After Air India, Britain's Cairn Energy PLC plans to target assets of state-owned firms and banks in countries from the US to Singapore as it looks to ramp up efforts to recover the amount due from the Indian government after winning an arbitration against levy of retrospective taxes. A lawyer representing the company said Cairn will bring lawsuits in several countries to make state-owned firms liable to pay the $1.2 billion plus interest and penalties that are due from the Indian government. Last month, Cairn brought a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York pleading that Air India is controlled by the Indian government so much that they are 'alter egos' and the airline should be held liable for the arbitration award.
Strict norms for arriving international passengers, especially from 'at-risk' countries, will come into effect from Tuesday midnight and authorities are stepping their vigil for effective surveillance amid mounting concerns over the emergence of the coronavirus variant Omicron.
Tigerair has announced few free tickets for Singapore flights
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