Domestic air passenger traffic remained 44 per cent lower in the April-December 2021 against the corresponding period of FY20, but saw a jump of 52 per cent year-on-year to 111 lakh in December 2021, according to rating agency ICRA. The total domestic passenger traffic had stood at 73 lakh in December 2020, according to a report by the rating agency. It also said that the emergence of new coronavirus variant and reactionary restrictions impacting air travel remain near term-challenges for the airline industry.
The incident took place in flight number 6E 308 from IGI Airport at around 7:56 am on Friday.
Rising fuel prices, intense competition and inability to pass on spiralling expenses have been negatively impacting the domestic airlines.
Industry sources and certain airline executives revealed this was done after the LCCs hammered out their differences with full-service carriers on certain contentious issues related to pricing. Industry source said the fares had been lowered as a protest against the full-service carriers' sale of coupons worth Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) and valid for six months to travel agents across the country at prices that were 20-30 per cent less than those available on their websites.
Whatever the final outcome of this unhappy episode, one thing is clear: a glass once cracked cannot be fixed. The trust is gone forever and the relationship between two old friends lies in tatters. For now, IndiGo, the airline, will have to learn to soar with two angry and distracted commanders, says Anjuli Bhargava.
IndiGo was set up in 2006 by businessman Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal, a former CEO for US Airways Group.
Its association with India is over 70 years old and spans both civil and military aviation. The Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft used by the air force beginning the 1940s and the iconic Boeing 747 aircraft flown by Air India, both had Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines. The Indian Air Force's present-day, heavy-lift C-17 Globemaster III and the yet-to-be-inducted C-295 planes, too, have P&W power plants.
In a shocker, the US Food and Drug Administration has discovered the presence of mice, ants and cockroaches in food served on airlines in the country.
Hundreds of pilots are staring at a long wait to get the job of their dreams after completing the course, the cost of which runs to Rs 1 crore.
The representative body of the global airline industry has asked governments of countries like India, which have huge unrealised potential in aviation, to use the sector as a strategic asset and devise policies that spur competitiveness.
'The levy proposed to be charged on air tickets for regional connectivity fund would marginally increase cost.'
Airline companies under the Federation of Indian Airlines plan to make a presentation to the civil aviation ministry saying they will be forced to axe 8,000 employees if the government implements the new ground handling policy from January 1, 2009. About 29 per cent of the 28,000-odd employees working in the private carriers are involved in ground handling.
SpiceJet is looking for investments from external parties, including airlines, and also plans to add seven more Boeing planes to its fleet, the carrier's chief Ajay Singh said on Tuesday. In recent times, SpiceJet has faced turbulence -- especially with many of its flights suffering technical snags -- and subsequently, the airline has faced actions from aviation regulator DGCA. SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said it is doing the utmost to work through the stress that it has faced and the strategy is to raise resources.
Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to corner the maximum profits this year, with the aviation industry's umbrella body IATA projecting a global profit of $8.9 billion in 2010.
A pilots' grouping of Tata group-owned Air India has approached the labour department to initiate conciliation proceedings with the airline's management to sort out various issues, including concerns over possible changes in service conditions of its members. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which claims to represent around 900 pilots flying narrow-body planes of Air India, has written to the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) as well as Deputy CLC and Assistant Labour Commissioner in New Delhi earlier this week. Apart from service condition issues, the association has flagged that the airline's plans to hire captains for its A320 fleet on a fixed-term contract may result in an anomalous situation for the existing pilots at Air India.
Jet Airways said on Tuesday the domestic aviation industry would soon witness a shakeout, but hoped the country's largest private airline would come out of it unscathed.
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With recession eroding profits of the global airline industry, Indian national carrier Air India on Monday said it is taking a "hard look" at its operations and would submit a paper to the government for the revival of the airline.
'The end of WFH has made achieving work-life integration more challenging for women.'
The airline industry was impacted last year by the global economic slowdown but the growing Indian and Chinese markets are expected to help boost the sector, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said.
Airlines worldwide will continue to be in the 'red' because of the global meltdown and may take more than three years to recover, an international aviation group said warning that the epicentre of the crisis is now in Asia.
The home ministry has given security clearance to Air India CEO-designate Campbell Wilson, paving the way for him to take charge of the airline, according to a senior official. The appointment of Wilson as the chief executive officer and managing director of Air India was announced by Tata Sons on May 12. Tata Sons took over the loss-making carrier on January 27.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar yesterday said the state has already slashed Value Added Tax on Air Turbine Fuel refuelled in the state from 22 percent to mere 12.5 per cent.
Air travel penetration in India remains small in global terms, with 0.04 annual trips per capita against 0.3 in China and more than two in the United States.
Capa lauded govt's efforts in rescuing SpiceJet.
Interview with Virgin Group owner.
The government has recently decided to infuse equity worth Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) in the first tranche into Air India, which has a paid-up equity base of just Rs 145 crore but has ordered aircraft worth Rs 40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion).
Airlines will report losses in FY16 but 35% less Y-o-Y
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said there needs to be anchor airlines at particular airports, more wide body aircraft as well as synergy between domestic and international departures to have an international aviation hub in India. The country's civil aviation sector is on the recovery path after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and is projected to have 400 million air travellers in the coming years. "We are in the growth phase and there are tremendous opportunities on the airlines and airports side," Scindia said.
Tata Group-owned AirAsia India, which is in the process of being merged with Air India Express, has taken short-term loans worth Rs 630 crore during the last six months to deal with cash crunch. AirAsia India has been making losses since its first commercial flight on June 12, 2014. Its net loss increased by 42 per cent to Rs 2,178 crore in FY22.
In 2010, Ratan Tata had spoken of how he had to abandon plans to launch an airline because he refused to pay bribes to secure the necessary approvals.
The company, owned by the UB Group, had been relying on internal group reserves and debt to manage its operations over the past two years and this infusion is expected to fuel its sustained growth.
Sukanya Verma looks at how the 33 year old has fared in her decade-long career.
Newly-launched carrier Akasa Air is aiming for over 250 flights per week operating over nine domestic routes by the second week of October, the airline said on Friday as it announced entry in the highly-competitive Delhi market. The airline, founded by late stock market investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala along with aviation industry veteran Vinay Dube, launched its operations on August 7 with a flight to Ahmedabad from the financial capital. Since then, it has expanded the route network to Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru.
Early estimates by Assocham claim that the Olympic torch relay caused financial losses to industry such as airlines, railways and BPO centres. It caused trouble for long-distance travellers and patients in hospitals. The railway platforms remained heavily overcrowded as incoming passengers had no option but to stay on to railway stations due to shrinkage in exit facilities. Hospitality and industry staff night shift staff reported atleast 5 hours late because of traffic jams.
Jet fuel prices are about 33% lower than the same period a year ago.
Scholarships, sports and spirit define Phee Teik Yeoh, the new CEO of Vistara in India
