The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has waived landing charges for international flights at the Navi Mumbai International Airport for one year, with phased discounts for subsequent years. This move aims to incentivise airlines to establish new international routes from the airport, modifying previous criteria that linked waivers to the broader Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the reduction in airport charges is aimed at containing airfare increases and supporting both airlines and passengers.
The question for the next 20 years is not whether India can become a $5 trillion or $10 trillion economy. Those are attractive targets, but the real question is whether India can create enough productive jobs, educate its children properly, make its cities liveable, and give hundreds of millions of people a substantially better life, asserts Ramesh Menon.
Brazilian aerospace company Embraer has secured type certification from India's aviation regulator, DGCA, for three of its commercial jets (E195-E2, E190, and E195). This approval, alongside an existing certification for its E175 jet, paves the way for Embraer to expand its presence in India's regional aviation market, supported by a strategic MoU with Adani Defence & Aerospace for a Final Assembly Line in Dholera, Gujarat.
Traffic between Assam and Meghalaya was disrupted after Guwahati-based cab operators blocked National Highway-27, protesting alleged attacks on people from Assam during a Khasi Students' Union (KSU) rally in Shillong, which saw 31 vehicles damaged and several pedestrians assaulted.
An airport operator will be responsible for maintaining overall service standards at an airport, including those delivered by third-party service providers, under new rules being framed by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), its chairman SKG Rahate told aviation stakeholders at a meeting on Wednesday
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India expects to operationalise nine free trade agreements (FTAs) within the next 10 months, with plans for an additional three to four significant pacts over the coming year, reinforcing India's ambition to become a global manufacturing and investment hub.
Reconstruction of the terminal is expected to be completed by September 2028.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta termed the exorbitant rise of airfares by airlines as "exploitation" and asked the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to file their replies to a PIL seeking binding regulatory guidelines to control the unpredictable fluctuations in airfare and ancillary charges imposed by private airlines in India.
The cost of any flight from Delhi and Mumbai could rise by up to Rs 3,000 soon unless the airport regulator is able to reverse a court order.
Kerala's voters are sophisticated, educated, and unforgiving. They have once again made it clear that no government is entitled to remain in power. The Congress would do well to remember this, points out Ramesh Menon.
Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) has proposed a significant increase in User Development Fee (UDF) for international passengers, while domestic passengers will be charged a UDF for the first time. However, MIAL also proposed a 35% reduction in landing and parking charges, aiming to balance infrastructure development with cost-effective air travel for airlines. The new tariff structure is subject to approval by the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA).
The Competition Commission of India, following its preliminary inquiry, said the airline appeared to have caused an appreciable adverse effect on competition by restricting its services.
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.
'Only four or five original companies remain; the rest have been replaced every decade as sectors evolve or leadership shifts.' 'Companies that fail to adapt -- like many textile mills from the 1970s and shipping firms from the 1980s -- disappear.' 'Benchmark indices reward those who reinvent themselves in line with economic demands.'
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
The bill to set up an Airport Economic Regulatory Authority, which will fix tariffs for different agencies involved in airport operations and management, will be introduced in the budget session of Parliament next year.
The Adani group, which operates across multiple infrastructure sectors, with 12 listed entities in India and a combined market capitalisation of about $200 billion, remains "anchored by strong assets and robust cash flows", according to a Bank of America (BofA) report.
Over 70 scientists, environmentalists, and former bureaucrats are urging the Indian government to reconsider the Great Nicobar Island project, citing environmental and social concerns.
AERA says airport operator must go on its own to avoid revenue-sharing.
'That refresh programme -- because they are big aircraft and we cannot ground them all at the same time -- will last well into 2027.'
Showcasing India as an attractive investment destination, Modi said the country has political and economic stability as well as transparency and predictability in policy decisions.
The estimated cost for building T-3 went up from Rs 8,975 crore (Rs 89.75 billion) to Rs 12,700 crore (Rs 127 billion) during the 37 months it took. In March 2009, the operator was allowed by the civil aviation ministry to collect an ADF for 36 months, to recover an estimated Rs 1,827 crore (Rs 18.27 billion).
The government on Thursday cleared the proposed Bill for setting up the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority.
This would be a key function of the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority, to be set up to regulate tariffs, said a civil aviation ministry official.
Predatory pricing is a big concern for the aviation sector.
Delhi-based electric vehicle (EV) ride-hailing firm Evera Cabs, which grabbed headlines after acquiring 500 cars from the now-defunct cab service BluSmart, is stepping up its presence in the EV cab segment. The company is aiming for revenue of Rs 100 crore in the ongoing financial year (2025-26), up from Rs 18 crore in 2024-25.
'But this Budget alone will not fix what ails the Indian economy.'
India is proposing a new law that would impose a jail term of up to seven years and a fine of Rs 10 lakh on anyone found using a forged passport or visa to enter, stay, or exit the country. The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, also mandates reporting of foreign visitors by hotels, universities, and hospitals to track overstaying individuals. The bill aims to simplify laws, ease business, and strengthen national security while promoting economic growth and tourism.
By contrast, only aeronautical activities are taken into consideration under the dual till principle.
'The answer is not for me to give. The answer either way has to be heard from the industry itself. Tell us why not if you are not doing it; tell us if you are doing it -- why should this question remain unanswered?'
Moving from pricing control to a free market means stiff competition.
Private airports are much better but because of poor regulation, the tariffs have shot up.
Pseudonymous or anonymous nature of the social media handle, analysis of the geopolitical situation and presence of VIPs onboard are some of the new criteria that agencies will keep in mind while considering the seriousness of a bomb threat made to Indian airlines.
A ministry's internal note proposes caps on minimum and maximum fares airlines can charge, keeping in mind their cost structure, profit margin and ensuring the last minute fares are not out of bounds of passengers.
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority has turned down Bengaluru International Airport Ltd's (BIAL) proposal to increase User Development Fee (UDF) by 239 per cent for domestic and 79 per cent for international departing passengers from the airport.
Inter-ministerial group to meet on Thursday to finalise model concession pact.
Observing that India's airport regulator AERA allowed a whopping 346 per cent hike in Delhi airport charges, IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler said 'this is clearly unacceptable'.
