Air India is undertaking a $400 million programme to modernise its legacy fleet, with plans to complete the retrofit of its entire Boeing 787-8 fleet by the first quarter of 2028 and its Boeing 777 fleet by 2029.
Air India is upgrading its fleet of Boeing 787-8 aircraft, crucial for its long-haul operations, with retrofitting expected to be completed by early 2028. The airline has already received its first retrofitted plane, featuring a three-class configuration.
Air India's first refurbished Boeing 787-8 aircraft has landed in Delhi, marking a milestone in the airline's USD 400 million investment plan to upgrade its wide-body fleet. The aircraft features comprehensive interior upgrades, including new seats and in-flight entertainment systems.
Aircraft supply to airlines will remain constrained during the next four to five years due to the supply chain issues being faced by plane makers Airbus and Boeing and there is not much that carriers can do beyond optimising their flight network expansion, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said on Tuesday.
Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson has resigned after four years at the helm, prompting the airline to form a committee to find his replacement. Wilson's tenure saw significant changes, including the merger of airlines and fleet expansion, but also faced challenges such as the London-bound flight crash and safety concerns.
Air India Group expects to induct 26 wide-body and narrow-body planes, and operate 81 per cent of its international flights with upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026, while overall capacity will remain almost unchanged next year.
Three disappointing experiences with Tata companies made me question whether the group's historic values of customer focus and accountability are slowly fading, notes Dr N Ravichandran.
Russia has launched its latest nuclear submarine to be armed with a 'Poseidon' nuclear drone, also known as 'doomsday missile' capable of 'wiping out' coastal nations, according to media reports.
'This festival season, advance airfares for major metros are up 20 to 25 per cent from last year.'
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft -- VT-ANB -- was 11.5 years old and had flown for more than 41,000 hours, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
'11A' is among the six seats in the first row of the economy class of Air India's B787-8 planes. It is the window seat near one of the emergency exit doors as well as the aircraft galley area, according to the seat map.
'We don't give any guidance about profitability. We have internal targets but we don't discuss them publicly.'
From November 12, Vistara aircraft will be operated under Air India's banner, identifiable by a special four-digit flight code beginning with '2'. For example, flight UK 955 will become AI 2955, making it easier for customers to recognise when booking on airindia.com after this date.
Aviation regulator DGCA plans to implement measures to control excessive air ticket price increases, following concerns raised during a parliamentary panel meeting. The meeting also addressed air safety issues in light of the Ahmedabad plane crash.
Vistara's aircraft, having better interiors, will replace Air India's planes on major metro-to-metro routes between Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru after merger of both the carriers next month, sources privy to the development said on Thursday. "Air India aircraft are being refurbished one by one. Until that process is complete, it makes sense to deploy Vistara planes on our high-revenue metro-to-metro routes between Delhi, Mumbai and Benglauru," a source said.
The trails of mega-mergers, tailwinds of expanding fleets, flights and airports will dot the fast-growing Indian aviation firmament in 2025, though the dark clouds of supply chain woes will persist longer. Also, new airline takeoffs, the future trajectory of revised norms to tackle pilot fatigue and efforts to reduce carbon emissions will be on the radar.
'We have informed the government multiple times that the situation in the US and India are different.' 'Here, there will be a 500 MHz gap in the frequencies which will safely allow aviation without interference.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday went from Delhi to Dhaka on a new custom-made VVIP aircraft, using it for the first time on a foreign journey.
Handing out a reprimand to the Navy for the lapse, the CAG said this was 'seriously limiting their operations capabilities.'
DGCA said there are 13 aircraft in the airline's fleet in which both the PW engines have been used for more than 3,000 hours.
Ahead of its expected delivery by yearend, Indian Navy's Russian built aircraft carrier Vikramaditya on Friday commenced sea trials in the White Sea.
The plane was scheduled to be delivered by aircraft manufacturer Boeing to Air India in July but its delivery was delayed twice --once in July for a few weeks due to COVID-19 pandemic and then in August for a few weeks due to technical reasons -- the officials noted.
The plane was scheduled to arrive in India during the first half of this week, the officials noted. Senior officials of the national carrier reached the US earlier this month to receive the plane from aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the officials said.
Dominic Xavier wonders if such expenditure is merited at a time when the Republic is passing through such tough times.
They noted that the exercise had begun in 2011 and an Inter-Ministerial Group submitted its recommendations in 2012 after meeting for 10 times.
Two custom-made B777 aircraft, which will be used to fly Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top Indian dignitaries, are likely to be delivered by Boeing to Air India by September, senior officials said on Monday. In October last year, government officials had said that the delivery of these two planes, which are earmarked for VVIP travel only, would be done by July.
In a record time of 13 years, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant is now ready for formal induction into the Indian Navy.
Grounded Indian planes will be up in air by end of April says company president
India and Russia have finalised the contract, a Russian defence official was quoted as saying.
The technology and its applications can be adapted for different platforms, including new aircraft like the Light Combat Aircraft, and retrofitted on older aircraft like the Indian Air Force's existing fleet of jets.
Russia's Sevmash shipyard, currently retrofitting aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, on Tuesday said the warship would be ready for transfer to the Indian Navy in 2012 though the price escalation issue is yet to be resolved. Announcing its readiness to begin sea trials for the carrier in 2011, the shipyard officials said these could be carried "provided all the financial issues are resolved."
Fuel accounts for around 40 per cent of costs for domestic airlines.
At present, Air India offers eight first class, 35 business class and 195 economy class seats in its Boeing 777 200-LRs.
The geared turbofan, a step-change in the efficiency of turbines for commercial aircraft, has been hit by a slew of design flaws that have grounded planes, delayed deliveries and prompted millions of dollars in compensation claims.
The long-delayed and much-awaited $2.3 billion aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya was on Saturday inducted into the Indian Navy in Severodvinsk, Russia, in a strategic boost to India's maritime warfare capabilities.
'The F-21's capabilities far exceed all other torpedoes currently in service.'
'It is time India thought big not only about its global clout politically and diplomatically, but also act its size against pin-pricking by anti national elements,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
In its flight performance, it can move up to a maximum speed of 180 km/h and minimum speed for level flight at 50 km/h.
Terming the state "pride" of the country, Modi said it is the gateway of the nation as it guards the frontier. It is the duty of the government to develop the state at any cost, he said.
'The government has belied the hope that many harboured of change, efficiency and dismantling old practices as the defence ministry continues to pursue the same well trodden and wasteful path.'
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