Category Archives: Aviation

In a communique sent to all airlines, DGCA has stated, “Domestic carriers should make all efforts to send SMS in case there is a delay in flight beyond 30 minutes or a boarding gate change has taken place at the airport.” The regulator has asked the travel agents to share the mobile number of passengers with the airlines for ease in sending flight information updates.

The domestic passenger traffic is forecasted to grow six to eight per cent this fiscal. According to the CRISIL Research, Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), on their part, are expected to post strong double-digit growth of 25-30 per cent in passenger traffic for fiscal 2020. The traffic forecast assumes capacity, in terms of available seat kilometres (ASKM), increase of more than 45 per cent and 30 per cent by SpiceJet and Indigo, and 15-20 per cent by the rest of the players, including Go Air, AirAsia (India) and Vistara. The capacity addition of players is supported by deregistration of aircraft of Jet Airways, which were under operating lease (accounting for about 85 per cent of the airline’s fleet) and re-leasing them to players such as SpiceJet and Vistara.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved Alliance Air plan to launch foreign operations by starting flights to Sri Lanka even as the airline’s parent Air India remains on top of the government’s disinvestment agenda. Alliance Air has been allowed to operate 7 flights a week from Chennai to Palaly and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka. The move has triggered speculation among Air India employees that government may not sell Alliance Air

The Indian Railways’ plan to rope in private players to run its trains has drawn the attention of few airlines as well as travel portal MakeMyTrip, said sources in the Ministry of Railways. Two big players from the catering sector have also shown interest, said sources. Under this public-private partnership (PPP) model, railways remains the owner of the train, while an outsider takes care of ticketing, catering and cleaning. The overwhelming response from the biggies has prompted the rail ministry to put the plan on the fast track. It will soon finalise the terms and conditions for private players to operate the trains before calling for bids. “This has been conveyed to the interested parties,” said a source. Source: PTI

In a recent update, Air India has announced that it will commence direct flight to London’s Stansted Airport. Fliers can now fly to Amritsar from three Airports of UK. The flights will operate thrice a week from October 31. The airline has also geared up to launch another non-stop flight to Nairobi from November 27 and Doha from October 29.

Aviation is undergoing a revolution and the pace of technological advancement is providing both opportunities and challenges, says Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation. He adds, “It has been our effort to ensure that policy fundamentals are contemporary, and that technology acts as an enabler and catalyst for growth.  Expanding use of unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) is one such example.  India is favourably placed to be a leader in this sector and serve as a model for balancing the opportunities that drones bring for social and economic development with the obligation to maintain public safety and security. Responsible use is the way forward.” 

During Aug 2019, a total of 760 passenger related complaints had been received by the scheduled domestic airlines, reveals Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried for the month of Aug 2019 has been around 0.64. While Vistara received least number of complaints (only 1/10,000 pax), Air Deccan received the maximum complaints (86/10,000 pax).

Low-cost carrier airline based in Kuwait, Jazeera Airways, will soon launch its new flight from Kuwait to London Gatwick starting from October 27, 2019. This will be a direct flight from Kuwait and a first for a low-cost carrier from the Middle East. Sharing this news is Romana Parvi, Country Manager – India, Jazeera Airways, says, “Jazeera Airways is now preparing to launch new routes in Q4, staring with flights to the British capital, London in October 2019. London Gatwick is a milestone for us as it is the very first low-cost service between the Gulf and United Kingdom. We will operate four flights a week in the initial stage of our LGW ops until 30 November, 2019 (Thu, Fri, Sat & Sun). Effective December 1, 2019, we will operate daily non-stop flights between KWI and LON. Passengers from five Indian stations can connect to LGW with a smooth transit of anything between 2.5 hrs to four hrs via Kuwait.” Besides London Gatwick, by the end of 2019 Jazeera Airways will see a couple of more routes launched on its network  including Nepal and Bangladesh. On flights to London Gatwick, Jazeera Airways will fly passengers using the new A320neo aircraft with a cabin configuration in three classes: Business Class, a new Premium Economy Class and Economy Class. The Business Class offers passengers a 33-inch seat pitch, 50 kilograms in baggage allowance, priority boarding and a complementary inflight meal. The Premium Economy Class offers passengers a 31-inch seat pitch, while Economy Class offers a 29/30-inch seat pitch. Hot meals will be provided for the first time on Jazeera flights – complimentary in Business Class and Premium Economy, and from the Jazeera …

The Travel Unified global campaign by Travelport, launched in 2019, drives awareness about DPNA (Disabled Passenger with intellectual or Developmental disability Needing Assistance) as a Special Service Request (SSR) code available in the airline industry for passengers. In India, the use of the code for flights booked through Travelport has increased by 165%. Under the campaign, the requests for assistance for airline passengers with intellectual disabilities have nearly doubled. Globally, use of the code on flights booked through Travelport has increased by 89% since the launch of the Travel Unified campaign. Little-known SSR code, DPNA 1, can be used to alert airlines when a traveler has an intellectual or developmental disability and needs assistance. Travelport has now extended the campaign until at least the end of 2019 and called for all parties in the travel industry to do more to support people with intellectual disabilities. Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Operating Officer at InterGlobe Technology Quotient, stated: “Air travel is meant to be hassle-free and safe for all passengers and particularly for specially-abled. And, when there is a system in place for them, it is our responsibility to let the patrons with intellectual and developmental disabilities benefit from it. Travelport‘s Travel Unified campaign is a great initiative that has been instrumental in raising awareness about DPNA SSR code among travel trade fraternity as well as specially-abled passengers. The code usage while booking flights through Travelport has grown by 165% in India, which clearly shows the effectiveness of this campaign. We encourage all travel professionals in the travel industry to come together and make this campaign reach to everyone.” SSR codes are used in the airline industry to communicate traveller preferences or needs …

Hahn Air has added seven new carriers to its leading network of more than 350 airlines in the third quarter of 2019. The new partners are expanding their distribution reach with Hahn Air’s product HR-169. Travel agents can issue their flights on the insolvency-safe Hahn Air HR-169 ticket, even in markets where the airlines are not participating in the local payment system (e.g. BSP or ARC). The new HR-169 partners include Air Chathams (3C) from New Zealand, Jeju Air (7C) from South Korea, Air Peace (P4) from Nigeria, Amaszonas Uruguay (Z7), MAYAir / Aerocuahonte (5G) from Mexico, as well as two regional US carriers, RavnAir Alaska (7H) and Southern Airways Express (9X).