Salt-to-software conglomerate Tata group was among "multiple" entities who on Monday put in preliminary bids for buying the government's stake in loss-making carrier Air India.
Budget carrier IndiGo has assured its employees that it will not make any deduction in their salaries or leaves due to the suspension of domestic flights till March 31. The government's decision to suspend domestic flight would come into effect from midnight Tuesday, as part of larger efforts to curb spreading of coronavirus infections.
Approval was held up due to CBI investigation into international flying permit of Tata group-owned AirAsia India.
Air travel will now become a little expensive as the government has decided to increase the lower limit on airfares by five per cent amid rising aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday. The upper limit on airfares will remain as it is for now. Just a month back, the Centre had increased the lower and upper limits on domestic airfares by 10-30 per cent due to rising ATF prices. While announcing resumption of scheduled domestic flights in May last year, the aviation ministry had placed limits on airfares through seven bands classified on the basis of flight duration.
The proposal is awaiting final policy sanction from the home ministry.
The airline will fly the A320s between the Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Tata Sons has emerged as the top bidder for the takeover of debt-laden State-run airline Air India but the bid is yet to be approved by a group of ministers headed by Home Minister Amit Shah, sources said.
The airline has been defaulting on salaries for some time, making partial payments in some cases or not paying at all, as it continues to lose money mainly in domestic routes where it can't raise fares facing competition from low-cost airlines.
Jet Airways' cabin crew and ground staff have challenged the Jalan Kalrock consortium's resolution plan, which was approved by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in June, flagging concerns about pending salaries and retirement benefits. In their petition filed before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), the Jet Airways Cabin Crew Association and Bhartiya Kamgar Sena have submitted that dues of all workmen of the airline were not included as part of the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) cost. In June, NCLT approved Jalan Kalrock Consortium's resolution plan for Jet Airways, which remains grounded for more than two years now.
Jet Airways -- which has been flying for 25 years - on Friday described reports that the airline cannot fly beyond 60 days as "incorrect and malicious" as well as denied any talks of stake sale.
Singapore Airlines has given new brand names to two carriers it controls - SilkAir (short-haul) and Scoot (low-cost, long-haul.
'Earlier, when they were selling tickets at Rs 1,000, a family of five could travel by flight.' 'When it comes to realistic pricing and the price becomes Rs 5,000, a family of five will have shell out Rs 25,000.' 'How many will be able to afford that?' 'You will see people switching back to train travel which is more realistic.'
The carrier planned to bring in a plane a month from March to build a fleet of at least 10 jets by the end of the year.
IndiGo's share sale will raise the company's retained earnings to Rs 2,680 crore.
Signs of financial stress were visible when the airline reported a loss of Rs 10.40 billion.
This is the largest single dose of equity infusion into the joint venture since its launch in January 2015.
There were many who had reposed faith in the Narendra Modi government for expeditious action but are today beginning to feel disillusioned, notes Jitender Bhargava.
Vistara has poor load factors currently, it needs to bring down fares a bit to improve flight occupancy.
IndiGo said operations of the ATR fleet would be handled by an independent team that would be responsible for in-flight services, dispatch and control, and revenue.
By 2023, Vistara's hangars will house a total of 70 aircraft, up from the current 42.
The airline is gearing up to come out with an initial public offer.
A passenger called Himadri Barman tested positive on Tuesday, and Nagendra Singh tested positive on Wednesday, said the director of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport.
A senior first officer with Jet Airways shares her plight.
SpiceJet board is likely to pass a resolution within three days after the court order.
DGCA has told the airline that only "air worthy" aircraft, which are completely fit for flying, should be used in operations.
An unprecedented decision to form a ministerial-level committee was driven by fears of witch-hunt by investigating agencies.
Despite the gains from Jet's closure, in 2018 and 2019, the airline continued to make losses in many quarters for a variety of reasons, including some mistakes like taking on Jet's aircraft, which were not in great shape and had business class configuration, a gamble that did not work for SpiceJet.
The government also said it will hold consultations with the airlines to explore the possibility of curbing the menace of charging exorbitant airfares during emergency situations.
SpiceJet has cut costs to turnaround the carrier in a year's time.
It was supposed to be a happy journey to London, one that the Imam family had been planning for the past two months. Everything was set - except the visa, which did not arrive in time for one of its members. "Visa was the villain...As a consequence, half of the family of four will be in London today and the other half at home in India and the US, respectively," Sanjar Imam, director of travel firm Panache World, wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
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.
Jazeera Airways started flying to India 18 months ago, servicing Ahmadabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai.
We have cleared all dues to our employees, says Ajay Singh
The airline has failed to address fliers' fears and has been opaque about the allegations of tax and financial fraud, giving rise to apprehension that Jet Airways may be headed the Kingfisher way.
There is little that Andreas Schmid, the Swiss-born chairman of Flughafen Zurich AG (Zurich Airport International AG), and Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), could have in common. But Schmid, whose company is building the Noida airport in partnership with the UP government, finds himself on the same footing as the firebrand Hindutva leader who rules the state. Both hope the Rs 30,000-crore ($4 billion) project, hanging fire for 20 years, shows some progress when UP goes to the polls in 2022.
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.
National carrier Air India is running in losses and needs government's attention.
We are only 9-10 months into the turnaround exercise: Maran
The low cost public sector carrier, Air India Express, will soon start operations from some southern cities to the Gulf and West Asia at 30 per cent lower fares than the regular ones, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Thursday.
Both the pilots of the flight have been grounded, pending enquiry, the airline said, adding the incident took place around 1630 hrs.
