Category Archives: Aviation

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 …

Air India Express expands its network, adding Nagpur to its route map with twice-daily flights to Bengaluru, starting 1 December, alongside the introduction of new international services to Abu Dhabi from Delhi and Pune, from 2 December.

Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, announced that the airline will soon launch operations from India to Sharjah. “We are currently evaluating two or three markets for Sharjah,” he said, adding that destinations such as Tashkent, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam are also being explored keeping in view the growth opportunities.

Global Aviation Services was honoured with the Best Passenger GSSA – Excellence in Service award at the India Travel Awards 2025. Accepting the accolade, Jalpa H Vithalani, Group Managing Director, dedicated it to her father, HK Vithalani, Founder Chairman, and the team, saying such recognitions continue to inspire and uphold their legacy of excellence.

Arun Bansal, Chief Executive Officer, Adani Airport Holdings, said, “Our vision is to redefine the airport experience through intelligent, digital-first innovations that place passengers at the heart of everything that we do, converting their travel anxiety into excitement. Our collaboration with AIONOS marks a significant step in delivering seamless and personalised journeys across our airports. We are building a connected ecosystem that enhances efficiency, fosters inclusivity, and sets new benchmarks for smart, sustainable and future-ready airports in India.”

India will have 34 mega airports by 2047, said Vipin Kumar, Chairman, Airports Authority of India, at the Aviation India 2025 event. The country’s operational airports have risen to 164 from 74 in 2024. He added that 110 airstrips are suitable for development, while 200 more are under suitability assessment.

Anil Kalsi, Owner, Ambe World Travels and Vice President, TAFI, highlighted the alarming decline in the number of ‘Standard’ IATA ticketing agents. Currently, there are approximately 1,800 Standard IATA agents and around 3,200 IATA Lite agents in India. Calling it a national concern for employment and aviation distribution, he urged airlines to value their distribution networks and respect travel agents’ vital role.

Bullish on the fast-growing Indian aviation market, Saudi Arabia’s no-frills carrier flyadeal will start flights to Indian cities, including Mumbai, from the first quarter of 2026. Steven Greenway, CEO, said that India is one of the “most hyper-competitive markets” in the world and there is a need to have an “absolute, brutal focus on unit cost”.  We expect to cover metropolises like Mumbai and Delhi, as well as focus on secondary cities in India.

Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS), one of India’s leading B2B enablers of digital connectivity and cloud solutions, has successfully implemented its advanced SD-WAN iFLX solution at Celebi Aviation, a global aviation services provider. This deployment has allowed Celebi Aviation to seamlessly connect its geographically dispersed offices across India, enhance network security and simplify WAN management while reducing operational costs. As a leading aviation services company, Celebi Aviation recognised the need for a modern, scalable network to support its workforce and mission-critical applications across multiple locations. To strengthen performance and unlock new possibilities in connectivity, the company partnered with TTBS to implement its advanced SD-WAN iFLX solution, which is a secure, agile, and cost-effective network designed to meet Celebi’s evolving needs. Through this deployment, TTBS seamlessly connected eight key Celebi locations on a private SD-WAN network optimised for high availability and application performance. The infrastructure now supports workloads across public and private clouds, SaaS platforms like AWS and Microsoft Azure, as well as on-premises data centers. With centralised control, optimised bandwidth, and reduced dependency on hardware, Celebi Aviation has gained enhanced agility, stronger visibility, and a future-ready network foundation to drive operational excellence. KS Kalidas, Vice President, Tata Teleservices, said, “At TTBS, we strive to empower enterprises with future-ready solutions that simplify network management while enabling scale and security. Our collaboration with Celebi Aviation reflects our commitment to solving complex business challenges through innovation in connectivity. With SD-WAN iFLX, we were able to deliver a secure, resilient, and high-performance network that seamlessly connects Celebi’s geographically dispersed operations. This deployment not only enhances their agility and uptime but also equips their teams with the infrastructure needed to drive operational efficiency in a …

Air India will induct a new wide-body aircraft every six weeks starting in 2026, continuing for two years, said Campbell Wilson, CEO, Air India. Alongside refurbishing its existing Boeing 787 and 777 fleet, the move aims to position Air India as a “modern, international airline” by 2028, marking a major milestone in its transformation journey.