Air India is upgrading its fleet of Boeing 787-8 aircraft, crucial for its long-haul operations, with retrofitting expected to be completed by early 2028. The airline has already received its first retrofitted plane, featuring a three-class configuration.
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.
Indian carriers have cancelled over 10,000 flights since the onset of the West Asia conflict, as escalating tensions and airspace restrictions disrupted international operations, a senior government official said.
Air India's first refurbished Boeing 787-8 aircraft has landed in Delhi, marking a milestone in the airline's USD 400 million investment plan to upgrade its wide-body fleet. The aircraft features comprehensive interior upgrades, including new seats and in-flight entertainment systems.
India's rapidly ageing truck fleet, with 42% of vehicles over 12 years old, is set to trigger a replacement-driven growth of 3-5% annually over the next five years.
The broader conflict in West Asia, the largest international market for Indian carriers, has forced a sharp reduction in daily flights relative to the summer schedule.
The Federation of Indian Pilots, said the union has written to the DGCA raising concerns over the extension.
IndiGo is adjusting its long-haul flight schedule, including suspending services to Copenhagen, due to airspace uncertainties and airport congestion. The airline will also reduce flights to London and Manchester.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the reduction in airport charges is aimed at containing airfare increases and supporting both airlines and passengers.
'Extending 'flight duty period' and 'flight time' limits for minimum crew complement operations increases exposure to fatigue-related performance degradation'
Indian airports' push to become global hubs will depend on reducing passenger leakage to rival airports abroad, scaling up direct long-haul connectivity, and offering transfer experiences that are faster, smoother, and more attractive than those of regional competitors, said panellists at the Business Standard Infrastructure Summit on Thursday.
Nobody takes Pakistan seriously and therefore Pakistan's sudden mediating with almost immediate results of a ceasefire seems more contrived than real, points out Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).
Taking Kharg would give the US control over virtually all of Iran's oil exports and thus provide significant leverage, notes Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War. It would also put American troops within range of Iran's remaining missiles, drones, and artillery on a piece of real estate that is just eight square miles in size, and just 15 miles from the Iranian mainland.
The Air India flight, en route from San Francisco to Delhi via Kolkata, made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia after the crew suspected a technical issue mid-flight, Air India said in a post on X.
An Air India Airbus A350 sustained engine damage after ingesting a baggage container while taxiing at Delhi airport. The incident occurred after the flight returned to Delhi due to the unexpected closure of Iranian airspace. The DGCA is investigating.
Investors and startup executives are calling for extending the period for an entity to be recognised as a startup from 10 to 15 years for deep-tech companies.
'IndiGo will receive a sharp rap on the knuckles -- a punishment, a huge penalty. 'I look towards them creating a compensation fund.' 'I would like to think they would do that for all the passengers who are affected on every single day since cancellations began.'
'Tourists from long-haul markets such as the US, UK, and Western Europe are especially sensitive to such news, and short-term cancellations or postponements of planned trips can be expected.'
'India is giving selective traffic rights wherever it makes sense to allocate those traffic rights.'
Air India Group expects to induct 26 wide-body and narrow-body planes, and operate 81 per cent of its international flights with upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026, while overall capacity will remain almost unchanged next year.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft -- VT-ANB -- was 11.5 years old and had flown for more than 41,000 hours, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
'The amount of respect we have for people who guard our borders and put the country first.' 'Why do they do this?' 'The chances of not coming back are so high. Still, they take that risk.' 'It's for the love of the country.'
Long-haul low-cost carriers like Scoot and AirAsia X offer a similar configuration.
Besides, the carrier is having a technical stop in Kolkata for some of the North America flights from Delhi, they added.
Restricting air access to foreign carriers by not granting them more bilateral rights is akin to shooting yourself in the foot, as air transport is a wealth multiplier for India's economy, Emirates President Tim Clark said during a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association.
Full service carrier Air India on Friday said some of its ultra long-haul flights are facing delays due to issues related to airport entry passes and it is "working closely" with the authorities to resolve the matter.
Air India will begin operating flights between Ahmedabad and London Heathrow from August 1, replacing the Gatwick route. The airline is also partially resuming domestic and international services suspended after a fatal plane crash. Some routes will remain suspended until September 30, while others will see increased frequency.
Aviation regulator DGCA has issued four show cause notices to Air India for various violations related to cabin crew rest and duty norms, cabin crew training rules and operational procedures, a month after the airline made certain voluntary disclosures to the watchdog.
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.
'Indian refiners can operate without Russian crude from a technical standpoint, but the shift would involve major economic and strategic trade-offs'
The DGCA has issued multiple fines and warnings to Air India over the past three years, flagging serious concerns in flight operations, cockpit discipline, and internal accountability.
Air India reiterated that its priority remains extending assistance to the families.
'Countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines have a 50 per cent increase in bookings.'
The Tata Group-owned airline, grappling with disruptions following the fatal plane crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad, said the objective of reducing flights on 18 international routes is to restore schedule stability and minimise last-minute inconvenience to passengers.
'We showcased about 20 use cases in 5G trials in Pune and Gandhinagar and some of them were interesting and innovative.' 'However, which ones will take off and which ones would not be relevant, we don't know yet.'
'We will continue supporting those affected long after the work in Ahmedabad is done.'
According to authorities, the group is suspected to be operating together as part of an international in-flight theft racket.
"The return fare on economy class to most European capitals from Mumbai are close to 50,000 plus. If an LCC can offer direct connectivity for a basic fare of 25,000 with additional top ups for meals, baggage and blankets, which further takes the fare to, say, 35,000, it is still a value deal."
The airline is not convinced that it will have a sizeable passenger traffic to make wide body operations profitable
'In 50 seconds, the pilots were fighting drag, trying relight, throttling up and avoiding obstacles.' 'They had neither height nor speed. There was no margin.'
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