Category Archives: Aviation

Air India Express expands its network in the National Capital Region (NCR), bringing more convenience to flyers in NCR and North India, by operating 28 weekly direct flights connecting Hindon with Bengaluru, Goa, and Kolkata, with fares starting from ₹5,134. Flight operations will commence on 1st August 2024. Besides operating over 280 flights a week from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in New Delhi, AIX will be operating from Hindon Airport, ensuring enhanced connectivity to/from other cities in Western UP, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Hindon’s strategic location within the National Capital Region (NCR) ensures seamless access for travellers based out of Central and Eastern Delhi, Noida, Alipur, Agra, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Dadri, Dasna, Dehradun, Faridnagar, Hapur, Haridwar, Khekra, Loni, Meerut, Modinagar, Muradnagar, Noida, Nangloi Jat,  Pilkhuwa, Panipat, Rishikesh, Saharanpur, and Sonipat. Speaking about the announcement, Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express, said, “Our network expansion is focussed on enhancing connectivity across the rapidly growing domestic and short-haul international market, particularly the new and underserved routes. The maturity and size of major metropolitan areas in India can support secondary airports, spreading the benefits of air connectivity and further stimulating growth. We believe the launch of our flights from Hindon is a pioneering effort towards this direction. It will benefit travellers from an extended catchment area, even beyond Delhi NCR, including Western Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal and Haryana. The new services will complement our operations from the primary airport serving Delhi NCR, providing convenient options.”

Kapil Kaul, CEO & Director, CAPA India, addressing the CAPA India Aviation Summit said, “The industry’s average fare in FY2024 was almost the same as in FY2023. IndiGo’s average airfare in FY2024 was just 1.3% higher than FY2023 but 36% higher compared to FY2020.”

Amitabh Khosla, Country Director-India, IATA said that India’s air traffic had already surpassed 2019 levels, both for domestic and international flights, in 2023 itself.  “So certainly, we are witnessing rapid growth, as demonstrated in the unveiling video of the 2025 AGM. There is a significance amount of activity and technology driving aviation growth in India, ” he added.

Adnan Kazim, CCO, Emirates, said, “There is a great opportunity for IndiGo and other carriers to tap the ultra-long-haul market. Today, India is sitting on 70-80 million traffic that is going on international routes. It is not enough with a population size of 1.4 billion. I think there is enough room for all of them, including us, to be expanding.”

IndiGo will host the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Delhi, India, on 8-10 June, 2025. Expressing his views on the IATA AGM’s return to India, Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, said, “IndiGo is proud to be the host airline for the event and looks forward to welcoming the global aviation community to Delhi in 2025. India’s rise in the global aviation landscape over the last years has been nothing short of remarkable.”

Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, has elevated its inflight dining experience by adding popular regional flavours to its onboard menu. The additions celebrate India’s diverse culinary heritage, offering an exquisite gourmet dining experience to customers onboard Vistara flights. From the royal kitchens of Awadh to the bustling streets of Mumbai, Vistara has included a repertoire of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes in its menu, that capture the essence of culinary experiences from across the country. Customers departing from Delhi and Mumbai to international routes can now savor epicurean treats like laal maas, anjeer kofta and apple badam kheer. Also, on domestic routes from Mumbai, the airline offers the option of signature dishes from the regions of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa including chicken koliwada, pav bhaji, methi thepla with sev tamatri, Parsi cutlet or the aromatic Goan fish curry. On flights from Kolkata, a delectable spread of Bengali specialties is offered, which includes Gondhoraj chicken tikka, narkel diye cholar dal, mochar chop and the authentic Kolkata chicken biryani. Furthermore, customers travelling from Chennai and Bangalore can treat themselves to delicious South Indian fare with options such as, chicken Chettinad pie, Hyderabadi chicken biryani, paneer nilgiri korma and meen moilee, among others. Additionally, Vistara has enhanced the in-flight meals for its business class customers on long-haul flights. The first course of lunch and dinner services will now include a choice of appetizers (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian) and soup with garlic bread. Customers can also enjoy a curated selection of cheeses as part of post-meal service in addition to sumptuous desserts and fruits. Furthermore, Vistara has revamped its amenity kits onboard for customers flying …

Sharing his views on IndiGo’s introduction of a business class, Rajdev Bhattacharya, Global Head (Travel & Hospitality) and Process Owner, Wipro, says, “This means more choices and higher service standards in the domestic market. Transitioning from an LCC to a hybrid model requires substantial investment in cabin reconfiguration, in-flight services, and ground operations. Maintaining cost efficiency will be crucial to ensuring this move is profitable.”

Highlighting the industry-led digital initiative, Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation, says, “Digi Yatra has seen impressive adoption and expansion over the last year, with more than 20 million happy users experiencing the benefits of this seamless travel solution. Currently rolled out in 14 airports, Digi Yatra is set to be introduced in another 14 airports next month. Our focus is now expanding to international travel, starting with prototype testing on E-passport based enrollment, expected next month. There will be numerous deliberations that need to be done with various ministries and other stakeholders, which might take some time to conclude on the way forward.”

All the big Middle East carriers have been expansive in their approach and yet still experience extraordinary growth, says Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline. “The Middle East region has one of the most robust GDPs on the planet because it is at the epicenter of so many global initiatives. Yes, there are geopolitical concerns but overall, there will be strong growth and plenty of demand for everybody,” he adds.

Forward ticket data for July and August 2024 indicates that European travellers are increasingly choosing to venture further afield to explore New Delhi with an 9 per cent increase compared to the same time in 2023. Highlighted by ForwardKeys, outbound travel from Europe is displaying clear trends, with year-on-year growth in long-haul travel to a diverse range of Asian markets.