The on-time performance (OTP) of Indian carriers took a major dip in January as dense fog foiled their flight schedules. According to data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation reviewed by Business Standard, five out of six major Indian carriers - IndiGo, Air India, AIX Connect, Akasa Air, and Vistara - recorded their lowest OTPs in at least the last 11 months. In response to queries, an Air India spokesperson said that during this winter, northern India experienced unusually prolonged periods of dense fog affecting traffic at the airline's two largest hubs -- Delhi and Mumbai.
The Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced her ministry will follow a twin strategy of adopting the highest level of technology and pressing into force well-trained manpower, as emphasised in Vision 2020 for safety and security.
The DGCA is conducting special audit of all airlines and airports which are in monsoon-affected areas in the wake of multiple landing incidents across the country.
The makers of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft, Boeing, on Wednesday expressed concern over recurring glitches on the plane while at the same time insisting that it was a machine which had never caused issues with the safety of passengers.
The vehicle, a Tavera, was on its way to Jammu from Srinagar and it fell into a 300-foot gorge at the Battery Cheshma area of the district around 1.15 am, they said.
The airline asserted that the incident "did not affect the flight safety of any crew"
India does not have any immediate plan to evacuate its citizens from Ukraine and its focus has been on ensuring their safety rather than on anything "larger", the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday.
He said the incident occurred on August 12 at the busstahd and the police were informed about it Saturday evening.
A Nepalese private plane crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Wednesday, killing 18 people aboard, including a child, and seriously injuring the pilot -- the only survivor.
An overcrowded ferry with up to 250 passengers onboard sank on Monday in the Padma river in central Bangladesh, officials said.
The announcement came after marathon meetings held by the minister with senior railway board officials since Friday.
The Mumbai police have arrested a male passenger after a crew member of a Delhi-bound flight from Mumbai heard him talking about 'hijacking' on phone, an official said on Friday.
The boy wanted to check whether it could be traced back to him or not, police said.
'A passenger on our flight AI130, operating London-Mumbai on March 10, was found smoking in the lavatory. Subsequently he behaved in an unruly and aggressive manner, despite repeated warnings,' Air India said.
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced new initiatives.
A technical problem with an Air India Dreamliner from Kolkata led to an overnight ordeal for around 130 passengers who reached New Delhi after a 13 hour delay.
When I asked Krishna Gopal Sengupta, who had travelled through Bangladesh from Chittagong to Petrapole if the interim government had made any impact at ground level, he said, "it's been only a couple of days. They will need some time." Shyam G Menon reports from Petrapole, India's entry point with Bangladesh.
Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi on Tuesday said he was planning to set up an independent safety and security board to strengthen passenger and freight security.
The good news is that the government has taken notice of the pain and has formed a task force to improve operating procedure during foggy days.
'Whoever is doing it (threats to airlines), they are actually carrying out a recce.' 'This is the manner in which terrorists strike.'
At least 26 trains were cancelled and 31 stopped at different stations due to violence in Assam, prompting Railway Minister Mukul Roy to seek enhanced security from Home Minister P Chidambaram for safety of over 30,000 passengers stranded midway.
FSSAI is looking to tap the Airport Health Organisation to ensure that such incidents aren't reported in the future.
Reeling under a series of derailments, the Budget is likely to announce creation of a separate safety fund of about Rs 1 lakh crore over the next five years.
Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Thursday hinted at a hike in passenger fare as he asked Parliamentarians to be "realistic" if they want the railways to move forward.
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis's wife, Amruta pulled off a dangerous stunt on board India's first domestic cruise, Angira.
The Nepalese citizen was handed over to security agencies on arrival at the airport in New Delhi.
In moving scenes at the spot, women were seen wailing, possibly over the loss of a dear one, while a child recalled the tense moments before fleeing to safety.
Exhausted but elated, around 600 Indian students, who waged a tough battle for survival before being pulled out of war-battered Ukrainian city of Sumy, are now on way to Poland on a train from where they will be flown back home likely on Thursday.
"India-US Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) will improve passenger safety and therefore caps the success of the 2005 Open Skies Agreement, which opens more routes, includes more airlines, and greatly improves the ability for companies to engage in commerce between the US and India," USIBC chief Ron Somers said.
"India-US Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) will improve passenger safety and therefore caps the success of the 2005 Open Skies Agreement, which opens more routes, includes more airlines, and greatly improves the ability for companies to engage in commerce between the US and India," USIBC chief Ron Somers said.
The safety and security of citizens is primary for the government, he said.
'Whether I am optimistic or pessimistic is not the issue; I am just going by the evidence available.' 'The Indian economy and financial sector are now well-placed and very resilient in dealing with any kind of spillover coming from the external world.'
Amid concerns over increasing number of train accidents, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought a detailed safety plan from the railways.
While the TN Government Railway Police sleuths are questioning five passengers, the commissioner of railway safety commenced inquiry over the mishap in Madurai.
The 23-coach 12506 North East Express had departed the Anand Vihar terminal in Delhi at 7:40 am on Wednesday for its nearly 33-hour journey to Kamakhya, about six kilometres away from Guwahati.
The Indian couple was on a four-day cruise on the Spectrum of the Seas which was on the way back to Singapore from Penang on Monday morning when the 70-year-old Jakesh woke up to find his wife missing from their room.
An IndiGo aircraft from Amritsar missed the exit taxiway after landing at the Delhi airport on Sunday morning, following which one of the runways was blocked for little over 15 minutes, impacting flight operations, according to sources.
Opposition-ruled states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu opposing the Bill as they fear losing some of their powers
Ten people were injured when the shuttle bus they were traveling in from Terminal-1 to 2 of the Kempegowda international airport in Bengaluru crashed into a pillar early on Sunday, airport authorities said.
'There were no airhostesses and stewards to bring us food, water and the news of when the journey would resume.'
