Category Archives: Aviation

India’s DigiYatra has enrolled its first international user, marking a major step toward extending facial recognition–based airport entry to foreign travellers and eventually international travel. Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO, DigiYatra Foundation, said, “The rollout begins with enabling enrollment via electronic passports. The foundation has also signed a pilot agreement with ICAO, the global passport standards body, signalling the start of its international expansion journey.”  

Bird Group won the ‘Best Aviation Group in India’ award at the India Travel Awards 2025. Receiving the award, Praful Khosla, Executive Vice President, said, “This award is a great motivation for us. Our constant endeavour is to establish new routes, bring global airlines into India market, and actively collaborate with the travel fraternity to deliver the best products and experiences to the country.”

Addressing the 13th International Tourism Mart virtually, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Tourism Minister, said the Northeast has undergone a major transformation with huge investments in airports, highways, railways and digital connectivity under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Air traffic has surged from 9.8 million passengers in 2019 to 11.2 million in 2024, the highest ever for the region.

Jaideep Mirchandani, Group Chairman of Sky One, has commended the Government of India’s newly launched ‘Fare Se Fursat’ initiative, introduced by Alliance Air to promote affordable domestic travel. The programme follows the airline’s longstanding mission to connect Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities with the wider aviation network and introduces a fixed-fare model aimed at improving accessibility and price transparency across regional routes. The initiative covers sectors such as Delhi-Shimla, Shimla-Dharamshala, Hisar-Chandigarh, Jabalpur-Jagdalpur, and Jalgaon-Ahmedabad, among others. These routes underscore the enduring significance of a public airline in connecting diverse geographies and fostering balanced regional development. Further connections such as Vidyanagar-Bengaluru, Kochi-Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, and those in the northern and northeastern regions, including Guwahati-Aizawl, Imphal-Dimapur, and Jorhat-Tezu, demonstrate the airline’s expanding network. By bringing previously unexplored destinations into focus, Alliance Air supports the government’s effort to strengthen regional air connectivity. Meanwhile, the introduction of ‘Fare Se Fursat’ reflects a well-structured measure to encourage domestic air travel and reinforce India’s aviation ecosystem. Industry experts view this model, launched under the broader framework of the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) regional connectivity programme, as a potential turning point for affordable and inclusive air travel nationwide. “The purpose of aviation itself is to make air travel more people-oriented. One of the major concerns for passengers has always been the airfare. During peak seasons, they often have to pay higher prices, and when booking at short notice, they bear the impact of volatility. And if the state comes forward to address this concern, it is undoubtedly a positive step, “said Jaideep Mirchandani, group chairman of Sky One. According to the official statement, Alliance Air will introduce a single fixed fare that remains unchanged, regardless of the …

LOT Polish Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, is expanding its air services to the United States next year and will add San Francisco to its flight schedule. Starting on 6 May 2026, the Polish airline will connect its global hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport with San Francisco International Airport four times a week during the summer season. For greater flexibility two departure times are offered from Warsaw:   Every Wednesday and Saturday: departure of LO 37 at 17:40h from Warsaw, arrival in San Francisco at 20:15h local time Every Thursday and Sunday: departure of LO 35 at 11:15h from Warsaw, arrival in San Francisco at 13:50h local time The approximately 11.5-hour flights will be operated by modern Boeing 787 Dreamliners with three service classes on board: LOT Business Class, LOT Premium Economy Class and LOT Economy Class. “North America, and the USA in particular, has always been an important destination for LOT Polish Airlines. In the past twelve months alone, we have carried around 800,000 passengers from Poland to the United States,” explains Amit Ray, Director India, DACH Markets, Italy and Malta, and Head of Global Corporate and Strategic Sales at LOT Polish Airlines. “After Chicago, New York-JFK, New York-Newark, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto, San Francisco will be our seventh North American destination. We expect great interest from both tourists and business travellers alike.” San Francisco is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the US for leisure travellers. Not only can you experience world-famous attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the former prison island of Alcatraz and the cable cars, but you can also enjoy extensive shopping and excellent dining. San Francisco is also an …

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, said that India’s aviation sector is rapidly growing to become the third-largest market globally. “Domestic numbers grew from 1.8 lakh per day in 2014 to an average of 4.6 lakh today — nearly three times higher. The goal is to sustain this momentum and achieve a growth rate of 10% to 12%,” he said, adding that the government is working not only to maintain growth but also to enhance passenger services and transform the sector with future technologies.

SriLankan Airlines’ Airport and Ground Services, the sole ground services provider at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), is rolling out its self-check-in service for passengers of customer airlines ahead of the winter travel high season, which is expected to bring over 300,000 tourists to the island in December alone. The initiative, made possible by the airline’s IT team, follows the installation of 20 new self-check-in kiosks at the departure terminal last month, bringing the total to 28 and boosting airport efficiency and the overall passenger experience in line with Sri Lanka’s tourism development efforts. Since its launch in 2023, the self-check-in kiosk facility has seen a strong uptake, with an increasing number of travellers opting for self-service over traditional counters. Currently, 15% of SriLankan’s passengers flying out of BIA use the kiosks, helping ease congestion at the departure terminal. The facility enables passengers to bypass queues and complete their check-in independently by selecting seats, printing boarding passes and generating bag tags in just a few simple steps. Deepal Pallegangoda, Head of Airport and Ground Services of SriLankan Airlines, stated, “We are thrilled to offer the self-check-in option to our customer airlines, whose passengers account for around 60% of all passengers we handle. Our aim is to create a seamless travel experience for all passengers checking out of Colombo, which averages over 300,000 each month. Our enhanced self-check-in facilities will further support the airport’s capacity enhancement efforts, while reaffirming SriLankan Airlines’ prominent position in advancing digital airport solutions in the region. Singapore Airlines is set to be the first foreign carrier to adopt the self-check-in kiosk facility for their passengers flying from Colombo, and we hope to see more airlines come onboard …

LOT Polish Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, is expanding its air service to southwestern Europe. From 25 May 2026, the Polish airline will connect its global hub at Warsaw Chopin Airport with Porto all year round. Portugal’s second largest city is not only the country’s leading economic and commercial centre, but also an extremely popular tourist destination with many attractions that appeal particularly to visitors from India. LOT Polish Airlines will fly to Porto five times a week, every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. During the winter season, four flights per week are planned. Departure time in Warsaw is at 10:20h, arriving in Porto at 13:35h local time after a 3:45-hour flight. On the route, LOT Polish Airlines operates Boeing 737 MAX8 aircraft with two service classes on board. “Having added the Portuguese capital Lisbon to our route network in February this year, we are delighted to now be offering Porto as our second destination in Europe’s south-westernmost country. LOT Polish Airlines is thus establishing itself more and more as an important carrier for scheduled flights to the Iberian Peninsula, as we are growing our air service to Spain too,” says Amit Ray, Director India, DACH Markets, Italy + Malta and Head of Global Corporate and Strategic Sales at LOT Polish Airlines. “From 15 January 2026, we will also be flying to Malaga, and from March 2026 we will be connecting Krakow with Madrid and Barcelona for the first time. In addition, we plan to double our capacity from Warsaw to Madrid and Barcelona to 14 flights per week in summer 2026.” Port wine, fado and a wealth of history  Porto is world-famous for its port wine, which …

IndiGo has commenced direct flights between Delhi and Manchester on 15 November, following the successful launch of its first-ever long-haul service connecting Mumbai and Manchester earlier this year. This new route operates five times weekly using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The service strengthens India-UK connectivity, boosting trade and tourism.

The Project Sunrise, touted as the groundbreaking first step in non-stop flights between Australia and London and New York, has reached its first production milestone. Qantas is set to take a major step in transforming long-haul travel with its Sunrise Project. The recently released first images of the A350-1000ULR (Ultra Long Range) aircraft, developed with Airbus, mark the completion of its initial production phase — bringing non-stop flights between Australia, London, and New York closer to reality. The Sunrise Project takes its name from the historic “Double Sunrise” endurance flights operated during the Second World War. The aircraft will be moved to a new hangar this week, where engines and flight test instruments will be installed ahead of a comprehensive test flight programme in 2026. These A350-1000ULRs have been specially configured for the world’s longest commercial flights, connecting Australia’s east coast non-stop with London and New York — a new milestone in air travel. The aircraft features an additional 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank with advanced systems, making the non-stop 22-hour flight possible. Every element has been specifically designed with passenger comfort and safety in mind — a non-negotiable for long-haul journeys. The project will also cut up to four hours from travel time on one of the longest air routes in operation. Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson said the progress brings Project Sunrise one step closer to reality. “Given Australia’s position in the world, Qantas has a long history of breaking aviation barriers. Project Sunrise will not only overcome the tyranny of distance, it will fundamentally change the way our customers travel the world,” said Ms Hudson. She added, “These flights will cut up to four hours …