Taking a serious note of the situation, the civil aviation ministry said it has invoked regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes.
Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet have told the government that the country's airline industry is under extreme stress and on the verge of "stopping operations", as they sought revision in ATF pricing and financial support.
India's aviation sector is facing fresh turbulence, with rising fuel costs, the Ministry of Civil Aviation's free-seat directive, and geopolitical disruptions in West Asia clouding near-term earnings visibility.
Air India group announces fuel surcharges on domestic and international flights due to rising Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices, following the government's decision to cap domestic ATF price hikes.
The aircraft was taken to a separate bay (Bay No 95) for parking and passengers later safely disembarked. Currently, arrangements are being made to replace the windshield, they said.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Sunday issued an advisory warning that fog conditions in parts of northern India are affecting visibility and may lead to delays or changes in flight operations at select airports.
Ash clouds from the recent eruption of the HayliGubbi volcano in Ethiopia are impacting flight operations, and there are reports suggesting that clouds might also be drifting towards the western parts of India.
According to Hyderabad Airport GMR, British Airways flight 277 and Kuwait Airways flight 373 received the bomb threat. The BA 277 flight travelling from Heathrow to Hyderabad landed safely at 5:25 AM. Following the landing, standard safety protocols were initiated.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday issued a travel advisory as dense fog gripped Northern India, urging passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport to avoid prolonged waiting periods at the airport in case of flight cancellations or delays.
IndiGo will start direct flights to a total of 10 international destinations, including London and Athens, in the current financial year, its CEO Pieter Elbers said on Friday. Other destinations include Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Manchester (the UK), Copenhagen (Denmark) Siem Reap (Cambodia) and four places in Central Asia.
'The entire travel ecosystem is reeling with the domino impact of flight cancellations.'
InterGlobe Aviation, the operator of IndiGo, has approached the Delhi high court seeking a refund of over Rs 900 crore it claims to have paid as Customs duty on aircraft engines and parts re-imported into India after overseas repairs. The petition came up for hearing on Friday before a bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Shail Jain.
This move comes as a precautionary measure, in light of airspace restrictions and heightened security.
Videos of the moments of turbulence shared on social media showed panic-stricken passengers could be heard making religious supplications as the plane swayed.
A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight carrying around 175 passengers returned to Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport in Patna after takeoff on Wednesday morning as one of its engines developed a technical snag due to a bird hit, airport officials said.
Dense fog disrupted operations at Delhi airport, leading to cancellations and delays of hundreds of flights. Airlines are offering refunds and rescheduling options.
The officials said the passengers on board the aircraft were evacuated through emergency exits.
Chinese airline China Eastern is set to begin its Delhi-Shanghai flight from Sunday, days after IndiGo's flight to Guangzhou from Kolkata, marking the resumption of the flight services between the two countries after a gap of five years.
'India is giving selective traffic rights wherever it makes sense to allocate those traffic rights.'
Over 100 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Friday morning due to technical problems with the air traffic control system and authorities are working to fix the issues, sources said.
The government has suspended its directive requiring airlines to offer at least 60% of seats on flights without additional charges, following industry concerns about the impact on fares and pricing structures.
China Eastern Airlines has resumed its Shanghai-Delhi service after a five-year gap, marking the first mainland Chinese carrier to restore direct flights to India this year. The resumption follows the resolution of border tensions and aims to boost trade, economic, and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The Railway Ministry has decided to increase coaches in premium trains to accommodate travelers affected by Indigo airline's flight disruptions.
Air India and Air India Express are introducing a fuel surcharge on domestic and international flights due to rising jet fuel prices, impacting travel costs for passengers.
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"Microsoft Windows reports major service outages globally. IT services/ check in systems at airports are impacted," as per a message for the passengers at the Varanasi airport.
An anonymous phone call threatening that a bomb has been placed in a Kolkata-bound Indigo Airlines flight with 130 people, including six crew, on board on Wednesday sent security agencies into a tizzy at the airport in New Delhi.
Several airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, have cancelled flights to and from Kathmandu due to the temporary closure of Tribhuvan International Airport amid anti-government protests. Passengers are advised to defer travel until the situation stabilizes.
'We were told that we would be taken care of when we reached Delhi. But we did not find a single Kashmiri government official who could guide us.'
Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu highlights challenges in aircraft procurement due to global supply chain disruptions, impacting India's aviation sector growth and expansion plans.
As many as five IndiGo flights were diverted to various nearby airports due to the damage to the DVOR (Doppler VHF Omnidirectional Range) system, he said.
Discovering the stunning land of breathtaking temples.
'It has got to be the biggest error in aviation. If it is the biggest error, then all those individuals in positions of power should be removed because they have caused the biggest meltdown in Indian aviation history.'
'We kept our bags packed, ready to jump into the sea. Many times, I felt it could be my last day.'
The Delhi High Court has directed the removal of defamatory social media posts concerning the alleged molestation of a journalist on a flight, citing a violation of the accused's right to dignity and fair trial. The court also criticised media houses and actor Richa Chadha for amplifying unverified allegations.
The aircraft, which departed from New Delhi, was in Pakistani airspace when a male passenger fell seriously ill, according to sources from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The country's largest airline IndiGo on Wednesday reported a 20 per cent decline in profit after tax at Rs 2,176.3 crore for the June quarter as airspace curbs and overall challenging operating environment crimped its bottom line even as the carrier flew 12 per cent more passengers during the period.
The pattern of domestic airlines receiving bomb threats to their flights continued for the fourth day as two international flights, one each of Vistara and IndiGo, were targeted in the similar manner on Thursday.
The aircraft, later, flew to Guwahati after an improvement in the weather conditions in Guwahati, said KC Meena, the director of the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport at Agartala.
The DGCA has revised air ticket refund norms, allowing passengers to cancel or change tickets without additional charges within 48 hours of booking, subject to conditions. The new rules also address name correction fees and medical emergency cancellations.
