Raghu Menon, CMD of National Aviation Company of India (Nacil), had said last year that more than 70 per cent of the merger process would be completed by the end of FY09.
The move will help mop up not more than Rs 10 billion, which is only a fifth of the capital requirement of the industry, led by Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, say experts. The expected investment has been calculated on the basis of a 100 per cent premium on the current valuations of Jet Airways and Kingfisher -- two of the country's largest carriers by market share -- which require over Rs 50 billion.
When asked about India's demand for extradition of Dawood Ibrahim, who New Delhi says is based in Pakistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani initially refused to comment saying he had 'not studied' the matter or been briefed on it. On being pressed and asked if his government would extradite Ibrahim if the Indian government made a good case, Gilani said, that he had kept an open mind, and that the onus was on India to provide 'authentic proof' in this regard.
The budget carrier was on the verge of collapsing in Dec.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Jawadekar said the government, then led by Atal Behari Vajpayee, had convened an all-party meeting to discuss the crisis and ways to resolve it. "All the parties present, including the Congress, insisted that the government do whatever was necessary to secure the release of the passengers on board the aircraft and save the country's prestige," he added.
The public sector Indian on Tuesday conducted a probe against the pilot who had allegedly not allowed Indian Union Muslim League leader Abdul Wahab to board a flight at the Kozhikode International Airport. A statement of the airline staff on duty on Monday had been recorded and submitted to the executive director, Indian Airlines Southern Region, Chennai, AAI Station Manager N Kannan told UNI.
Starting this October, Air India Express will fly Cochin-Chennai, Cochin-Hyderabad, Cochin-Bangalore, Bangalore-Chennai, Chennai-Kolkata, Hyderabad-Kolkata and Kolkata-Agartala.
Ending a seven-year-long wait, the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board, at its meeting in London on Monday, gave an endorsement vote to induct Air India into the fold.
The number of local youth joining militancy has shown a declining trend during the current year. Check out information revealed by ministers in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Cochin International Airport (CIAL), the first international airport in the country outside the ambit of the union government, is planning to launch a dedicated international cargo airline service.
Clearly not. But to take the case of the Indian airline industry which is in the news, its fleet must be cut by a fifth but it can't do this unless it also has the right to fire workers.
In the wake of high alert sounded in the city on possible terror attack, the incident has baffled security personnel and the Central Industrial Security Force that mans the security of the airport.
Scott Bayman cited Indian Airlines' and Air India's purchase of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, respectively, as prime examples of this growing transparency.
Russian defence aerospace major Sukhoi is close to bagging its first civilian Indian client with its regional 60- to 90-seater jet Sukhoi Superjet 100.
The three conspirators Abdul Latif, Dalip Kumar and Yusuf Nepali have been lodged in the high security Patiala Central Jail since their arrest about eight years ago. The three were accused of helping the hijackers in procuring fake passports and other papers and also helping them take weapons aboard the aircraft that was hijacked.
W.C.H Training Solutions is offering a 30 hour "Training & Placement programme" in New Delhi for candidates interested in making a career in Travel BPO's.
'Whether it is the unions or the politicians, they don't have to do politics over Air India, but be guided by a solitary factor -- that we don't want Air India to fly into oblivion.'
'It will be a long time before we will see the likes of Vajpayee again.'
Former Director General and CEO of IATA, Giovanni Bisignani, says Jet Airways chief Naresh Goyal developed his airline's business class mock-ups in utter secrecy inside the garage of his London home.
The Union government has no 'Buy India' policy, but has a 'Buy Air India' policy.
Giving details about the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in his book, the former deputy prime minister wrote: 'I was sitting in my office on a cold Friday afternoon on December 24,1999, when Shyamal Dutta, former director of Intelligence Bureau called me to convey the bad news. 'Sir, an Indian Airlines plane coming from Nepal has been hijacked'. I was stunned by what I heard.'
An National Investigation Agency court in Punjab on Tuesday issued proclamation notice against Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed's chief Maulana Masood Azhar and three others, asking them to appear before it on March nine in connection with last year's brazen attack on Pathankot IAF base.
After merging domestic carrier Indian Airlines with itself, state-owned airline Air-India is keen on creating a hub in Germany for wider international presence.
Vistara has entered a country that has been sobered down to reality.
Aveek Sen on how the Lashkar e Tayiba looks at the world while focusing on India and Afghanistan.
With a large number of senior pilots quitting jobs in Indian carriers for greener foreign pastures, aviation regulator DGCA has warned of stringent action, including cancellation of licences, against those leaving without serving proper notice.
Bleeding Indian carriers, which suffered another setback in the form of a 7 per cent-hike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices on Tuesday, have decided against raising fares this month. This is the first time this year that the carriers are not increasing prices in spite of a hike in ATF rates.
The worldwide softness in the sector has ensured there are few takers for these aircraft; those who had leased the aircraft to Indian carriers will invoke a hefty penalty if the machines are sent back to them.
'I've flown more than 2000 flights so far. A pilot retires at sixty five, and I want to keep going until then to prove the naysayers wrong.'
Rahul reiterated that there was massive corruption in the Rafale deal.
National carrier Air India, which will soon be merged with Indian Airlines, may partner Cochin International Airport for setting up an airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul facility near the Kochi airport, Kerala.
'Who sent Masood Azhar back to Pakistan? Who bowed down to terror and released him? Not the Congress, but it was the BJP government'
'What made him different was that he was not a banker at all by temperament.' 'He was a businessman, a typical lalaji at that.' 'He had to win at any cost.'
Air India and Jet Airways are planning to leverage their extended domestic networks following a merger (with Indian Airlines) and acquisition (of Air Sahara), respectively, to offer small-city travellers free connectivity for international flights.
GoAir reluctant to respond to overtures.
Confronted with competition, state-run logistics companies are opting for joint ventures among themselves and with the private sector.
Each aircraft will cost about $50 million and the purchase is being funded by the US-based Exim Bank. The airline operates 143 flights a week from Indian cities to 12 destinations in the Far East and West Asian countries. In its fourth year of operation, the international budget carrier now has 11 fully owned aircraft, while seven are on lease, which will expire in 2010.
Terming as "unfortunate" the loss of lives in the Malaysian Airlines tragedy, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Friday said there was no Indian on board the aircraft.
Unlike some US airlines, Indian carriers are not planning to charge services like baggage handling to beef up their bottomlines, which is hit by a steep hike in fuel prices, but would prefer to keep the options open.The issue came to the fore following a decision by American Airline to impose a $25-15 charge for baggage handling, as the US carriers buckled under steep hike in fuel prices.
According to sources in the aviation ministry, only State-owned Air India and private carrier AirAsia India have agreed to pay the surcharge.
