Category Archives: Aviation

With the signing up of an almost century-old heritage Luxury resort, Leisure Hotels Group (LHG), an experiential luxury resort chain with a bouquet of 29 properties spanning North India, has announced its entry into ‘Queen of Hills’ Mussoorie, a nature lover’s delight with stunning views of the Himalayan mountain ranges, shining views of Doon Valley and magnificent views of Shivalik Mountain. The signing up also means that the group will now have 20 operational properties effectively consolidating the experiential resort chain’s position as the largest & most well preferred hospitality company in Uttarakhand. Vibhas Prasad, Director, Leisure Hotels Group said “Mussoorie as a city never loses its charm. It offers the right blend of experiences for all kind of visitors. This new property in Mussoorie is under our management contract. It is currently under restoration and is expected to open by early next year.” Once restored, the project will have 25 exquisite rooms, three restaurants, a bar and an open-air “Cafe on the Deck” with panoramic views of spectacular landscapes with valley vistas and snow-capped mountains. A conservatory is also being conceptualized as a part of an exquisite dining experience. An independent outdoor venue amidst nature is being planned for Yoga & Meditation enthusiasts with our in-house experts. The almost century-old heritage resort will offer a magnificent blend of old-world charm and modern amenities, and promises to provide guests with unforgettable experiences. Be it an official meeting, social gathering, or a wedding, the Resort will offer the perfect venue for  once in a lifetime experience. “Once a private residence of a well-known business family, this heritage resort will serve to a discerning clientele looking to relive the life of a …

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta said that the civil aviation ministry should consider increasing the upper limits on domestic airfares as the rising ATF prices have become a real problem. Aviation Turbine Fuel prices in India were hiked by 16% to catapult rates to an all-time high in step with hardening international oil rates. 

Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said that the sharp increase in jet fuel prices and the depreciation of the rupee have left domestic airlines to raise fares and a minimum 10-15% increase in fares is required to ensure that cost of operations are better sustained. 

Airlines have been informed by Bureau of Immigration – Ministry of Home Affairs at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, that all passengers must carry a printed copy of paper/online visa for presentation at immigration clearance. Soft/digital copy of visas are not accepted.

Compared to May 2021, India’s bookings have grown by 178 per cent even though the country witnesses high cost of travel, revealed RateGain Travel Technologies in their monthly PULSE survey of May 2022, which show Travel Demand has no impact of global inflation.

Mike Barrera, VP, Product Management, Low-Cost Carrier Segment, Sabre said that LCCs need to prioritize choosing a technology partner which offers security and reliability; ensuring their chosen technology is easy to use and train, especially given staff shortages and high turnover rates in the current travel industry; and selecting best-of-breed technology that has scalability and modularity so offer management systems can interact seamlessly with order systems. 

According to a report by CAPA, with competition heating up again in the domestic sector, IndiGo sees the international market as having the best potential for growth. It will increasingly look overseas for more opportunities as new aircraft deliveries enter the fleet. 

After 2 years of the pandemic, the Etihad team launched a mega sales blitz across 10 cities in the Indian Sub-continent to re-engage with customers and promote their brand new A350 aircraft along with sustainability initiatives and enhanced connectivity options through the new codeshare with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi from 7 cities in India.    

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s leading airline, is set to start thrice weekly operations to Chennai, India as of 2 July 2022. Chennai will join the vast Ethiopian network as a fourth destination in India after New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Ethiopian started its service to India with a debut flight to New Delhi in 1966, just 20 years after the airline was founded. Ethiopian pioneered the air transport linkage between Africa and India. Recently, Ethiopian marked its 50th year anniversary of uninterrupted service to Mumbai. The flights to Chennai will be operated using B737-8 aircraft as per the below schedule. Flight number Effective Date Frequency Departure Airport Arrival airport Aircraft type ET  0692 02-Jul-22 1.3..6. ADD MAA ET  737 – 8 ET  0693 02-Jul-22 1.3.5.. MAA ADD ET  737 – 8               Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mesfin Tasew said, “I am excited that we are getting closer to our customers with our signature service and global connectivity options. We have been connecting Asia and Africa for 55 years now facilitating trade between the two continents. The addition of Chennai as a fourth passenger destination in India is a testimony of our resilience and unwavering commitment to serve our customers in India and the continent at large. We will continue to serve India with enhanced frequency and more destinations in the future.” Ethiopian has been serving India without any interruption even during the pandemic cementing the longstanding bilateral relationship between the two countries. India is one of Ethiopian Airlines key destinations in the Asian continent and Ethiopian currently flies to three passenger and five cargo destinations with its enhanced services and modern fleet. In line with …

The UK-India market has recovered strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the week commencing 16-May-2022, seat capacity in this market is at 94% of the equivalent week of 2019. This compares with a figure of 84% for the total Europe market and just 42% for the market between Europe and all of Asia Pacific. It is also ahead of the total UK market, which has recovered to 85%, and India’s international market, which is at 87% (although its domestic market is at 105%). After Jet Airways’ demise in 2019 the leading incumbents Air India, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic began to expand into the gap it left. The pandemic interrupted this, but the new entrant Vistara began operations in this market in 2020 and the incumbents have now resumed growth. The low cost long haul start-up ‘flypop’ could also soon be ready to enter, as too could another start-up: Hans Airways.