Category Archives: Aviation

From Amsterdam, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will operate 777-300ER to Mumbai on May 10, 12 and 13, instead of 787-9. This will allow the airline to carry more passengers as 777-300ER will have additional 114 seats.  

US carrier Delta Airlines has announced non-stop direct daily flights between Mumbai and New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport from December 22, becoming the second carrier and only U.S. carrier to offer the JFK-Mumbai route. At present, only Air India provides direct daily service on this route. The US-based carrier is restarting services on this route after a decade. The airline previously offered service between the U.S. and Mumbai from 2006 to 2009. The JFK-Mumbai route will operate year-round on a newly renovated Boeing 777-200LR, leaving from JFK at 9:15 p.m. and arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai at 10:50 p.m. the next day — a roughly 16-hour flight. The return flight to the U.S. will leave Mumbai at 12:50 a.m. and arrive at JFK at 6:35 a.m — just over 15 hours.   “Delta’s nonstop service between New York and Mumbai is the latest example of our international growth as we strive to connect the world better than any other airline,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s Chief Executive Officer. “This route would not be possible without the administration’s ongoing efforts to enforce fair competition in international travel, ensuring that consumers enjoy a wide range of choices as they travel the globe.”   The airline did not announce when travelers could begin booking the flights nor how frequently they would operate.   The aircraft features the Delta One Suite — an all-suite business class cabin — as well as the premium economy offering Delta Premium Select have seatback entertainment. The flight will also offer WiFi connectivity and free mobile messaging. The new service will become Delta’s second-longest flight.

AirAsia Group has reported that it has plans to add 13 new aircraft to its fleet during 2019 in India. Adding more to its fleet, Indonesia will get five, Philippines will get three and Malaysia, Japan and Thailand will get one aircraft each. India is a strategic market for AirAsia and the airline will soon start its Ahmedabad-Bangkok direct flight from May 31. AirAsia Thailand has recorded a positive load factor of up to 87 percent on its India routes, with guests travelling between Bangkok and existing destinations in India increasing 7% on-year, translating into economic benefits for both countries. (Source: CAPA)

IndiGo delays its 2nd daily Delhi-Istanbul flight to July 1, instead of May 1. Right now, there is one daily service between the two cities with one hour layover in Doha.  The closure of Pakistan airspace has affected hundreds of flight operations worldwide. Most of the restrictions implemented in February remain in place. IndiGo now holds the maximum share in the Indian aviation sector (44%) and is trying to fill in the empty slots by Jet Airways, which recently has suspended its international and domestic operations until further notice.

According to a report by IATA, the ‘Current trends’ scenario predicts that 44% of additional air passenger trips over the next 20 years will come from China and India alone. The report also elucidates that air travel markets are reaching maturity in most developed economies. The rise in the frequency of air travel of the average citizen – which underlies the expected growth in air passenger demand over the next 20 years – will occur mainly in the world’s emerging markets. So, the average citizen in Europe and the US is not expected to fly much more frequently in 20 years’ time than they do today, even though their living standards are forecast to be 20-30% higher in our ‘Current trends’ scenario. Moreover, in developed economies like Germany there is very little population growth – another key driver of air passenger demand – expected either. But in the emerging markets there is expected to be a strong demand to connect cities by air services for trade, investment and travel. This is where both the frequency of travel and populations are expected to rise most.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is all set to restart direct flights between Dhaka and Delhi from May 13. To promote the relaunch, Biman has announced 15 percent discount on the existing base fare on the route, which be valid till May 30. With this flight, Biman will become the only airline to operate direct flights between the capital cities of the two countries. Initially, Biman will operate three flights every week on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. The flight from Delhi, BG 098 will depart at 6:20 pm (IST) and will reach Dhaka at 9:20 pm (local time). The return flight BG 097 will take off from Dhaka for Delhi at 3:00 pm. The national flag carrier of Bangladesh will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a configuration of 12 Business class and 150 Economy class seats on this route. InterGlobe Air Transport Limited (IGAT) serves as the exclusive GSA for Biman Bangladesh in India. The airline also runs flights to 15 international destinations (Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Riyadh, London, Dubai, Jeddah, Doha, Dammam, Kolkata, Kathmandu, Yangon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok) and a well-knit seven domestic stations with a younger fleet of 13 aircraft including Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Air Tanzania, the flag carrier airline of Tanzania based in Dar es Salaam, will start its Mumbai operations from July 17. The airline will operate thrice a week-Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Air Tanzania will also launch 4x weekly flights between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg using their Boeing 787-8.

Jet Airways recently has suspended all its domestic and international operations until further notice. Amidst this, the travellers are concerned about the fate of their JPMiles or Jet Privilege Miles. According to a recent, letter from Jet Privilege to all JP Miles holders, these frequent flyer miles are still valid and can be used for flights, hotel stays, fuel and merchandise options. In a statement, on its website, Jet Airways says, “We, at Jet Privilege, as part of Etihad Aviation Group, want to reassure you that your JPMiles are secure and their value remains intact. We know that you have earned and nurtured your JPMiles over the years and we consider it our foremost duty to safeguard the trust you and our partners have placed in us. As always, you can continue to use your JPMiles on hotel stays, fuel & 2500+ merchandise options at the JetPrivilege Reward Store.”

Lion Group’s Malaysian affiliate, Malindo Air, will start its Varanasi operations from July 18. Boeing 737-800 will be deployed on this route which will operate three times a week- Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday. Malindo will be the only airline serving Varanasi from Kuala Lumpur. Right now, Malindo serves destinations like Amritsar, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Trivandrum and Tiruchirappalli etc. India has been an important market for Malindo since shortly after the airline launched.

In a bid to strengthen its connectivity, GoAir has announced 28 additional flights, starting April 26, offering passengers multiple FlySmart options. The new flights will be connecting 12 destinations, namely, Mumbai (8 flights), Delhi (7), Nagpur (3), Ahmedabad (2), Goa (1), Chandigarh (1), Ranchi (1), Jaipur (1), Lucknow (1), Patna (1), Pune (1) and Kochi (1). The new flights for the first time are: Delhi-Nagpur-Delhi and Delhi-Kochi-Delhi. The 28 additional flights cover the length and breadth of the country and is believed to alleviate the shortage of flights and inconvenience caused to passengers due to the Jet Airway’s flight cancellations. Jeh Wadia, Managing Director, GoAir, said: “GoAir is pleased to announce 28 flight options this summer in addition to our existing flights. There are two sectors that GoAir is launching for the first time, namely, Delhi-Nagpur-Delhi and Delhi-Kochi-Delhi. GoAir is committed to provide travelers a value for money proposition through highest standards of customer service and affordable air fares – as low as Rs 1368 on select routes. GoAir is also committed to provide secure and efficient transportation at all times with attention to essential details. Proud to say that for the 7th month in a row, GoAir has ranked top in ‘On-Time-Performance (OTP)’ signifying our efforts towards operational efficiency.” In Mumbai, all flight numbers starting from G8 2000 to G8 2999 will depart and arrive at Terminal 2, effective 26th April 2019.