Category Archives: Aviation

As part of its international expansion, IndiGo is set to operate its first daily flight from Amritsar to Dubai. The low-cost carrier now operates 13 daily flights between India and Dubai. In addition, the airline will also operate flights between Kolkata-Cochin and Bangalore-Pune. Both services will commence from October 2018. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are absolutely delighted to announce our first daily flight to Dubai from Amritsar and Kolkata to Cochin effective October this year. We will also operate an additional flight between Bengaluru and Pune. The launch of these new services is in line with our growth strategy outlined for both domestic and international markets.” He further added, “IndiGo will continue to expand its network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travellers wherever they demand it. It is our constant endeavour to provide more flexibility of choice for our customers as IndiGo continues to offer them on time, courteous and hassle-free service and always an affordable flying experience.”

Brussels Airlines will operate its last flight from Mumbai to Brussels on January 7, 2019. For economic reasons, the airline has decided to cease its flight service between India and Belgium. Customers continue to have smooth flight options via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich with Lufthansa Group partners Lufthansa and SWISS. Brussels Airlines started its Mumbai-Brussels route in March 2017, venturing for the first time into the Indian subcontinent. After an initial 5-weekly service, the airline added a sixth frequency in the winter season of 2018. The flight service does however not deliver the anticipated results and Brussels Airlines has therefore taken the decision to withdraw from the route and use the flight capacity to reinforce its existing African network, the key intercontinental market of the Belgium based airline. Passengers continue to have ample alternative travel options via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich thanks to the Lufthansa Group airlines Lufthansa and SWISS. Customers who are booked on Brussels Airlines flights to or from Mumbai after January 7 are being contacted by Brussels Airlines and are offered alternative travel solutions to their final destination.

IndiGo has recently launched its fourth and fifth service to Singapore with the commencement of its additional flights from Kolkata and Tiruchirappalli. The new flights are designed to cater to business and leisure travellers who are constantly on the look-out for new and affordable flying options. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are pleased to operate our first daily non-stop flights between Kolkata-Singapore and Tiruchirappalli-Singapore. IndiGo has completed 12 years of successful operations in the India market as a low cost carrier, and adding new flights to its network will further augment the connectivity that we aspire to provide to our customers. It is our constant endeavour to provide our customers on-time, courteous and hassle-free service, and an affordable flying experience always.”

In 2017, around 60 million international passengers flew to/from India, up from 55 million in 2016, according to a report by IATA, titled ‘The Future is Bright… But Not Without Its Challenges’.  The 2017 outcomes represents an increase of 10.3 per cent on 2016 and is the third consecutive year of double-digit international passenger growth. While the international market has not grown as fast as its domestic counterpart, the sustained period of robust growth, over a number of years, is still readily evident.

Jet Airways is set to introduce the country’s first non-stop service between Mumbai and Manchester effective November 5, 2018, further strengthening the airline’s connect with the United Kingdom. Jet Airways will deploy a wide body A330-200 with 254 seating for the service, which will now operate five days a week including Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Manchester will become the 21st international addition to the Jet Airways network and with the introduction of this new flight – the carrier’s fifth non-stop service to/from the UK, Jet Airways will also become the largest carrier between Mumbai and the UK. Jet Airways’ flight 9W 130 will depart from Mumbai at 02:30 hrs and arrive in Manchester’s Terminal 2 at 07:55 hrs (local time). The return flight, 9W 129 will depart from Manchester at 09:30 hrs (local time) and arrive in Mumbai’s Terminal 2 at 00:40 hrs. Marnix Fruitema, Executive Vice President – Commercial, Jet Airways said, “Our new 5 days-a-week non-stop service brings Manchester into our global network, expanding our footprint as well as the choice of connectivity to and from the United Kingdom for our guests. Guests can also avail the advantages of various Jet Airways’ programmes such as eduJetter and JetEscapes to make their journeys enriching.” Speaking of  the new route back in May, Andrew Cowan, Chair of the Manchester India Partnership & CEO, Manchester Airport said, “I am delighted Jet Airways have recognised this by launching what I’m sure will be a hugely popular service, not least for the 500,000 people of Indian origin living across the North.”    

German Airlines Lufthansa has completed 55 years of operations on Delhi – Frankfurt route on September 1, 2018. In June 1963, there were three flights a week to the far east. On Mondays and Wednesdays, the routing led from Duesseldorf via Frankfurt, Rome, Cairo, Dharan, Karachi, Calcutta, Bangkok and Hong Kong to Tokyo. On Fridays, the route led from Duesseldorf via Frankfurt, Rome, Cairo, Kuwait, Karachi, Kolkata, Bangkok and Hong Kong to Tokyo. As of September in the same year, the stop in India took place in New Delhi, instead of Kolkata. The flights were operated by a Boeing 720. Nowadays, Lufthansa operates the route by a A380 that covers the distance in a bit more than 7.5 hours. Delhi has always been a key market for Lufthansa and over the years, the airline has experienced healthy growth on the route as more customers experience world-class product and services. These include state-of-the-art products and best-in-class services such as in-flight entertainment and enhanced FlyNet allowing in-flight, high-speed internet to help stay connected with business partners or family on ground. Currently, Lufthansa Group and its carriers – Lufthansa, SWISS and Brussels Airlines, offer 61 flights from four Indian gateways, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru connecting to 343 destinations in more than 100 countries via its four European hubs of Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich and Brussels.

Domestic air traffic has grown by 21.79 per cent from January-July YOY, according to a latest report by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-July 2018 were 800.40 lakhs as against 657.21 lakhs during the corresponding period of previous year. The passenger load factor in the month of July has shown a declining trend compared to previous month primarily due to the end of tourist season, the report said.

In 2017, more than 158 million passengers flew on routes to, from and within India, according to a report by IATA, titled ‘The Future is Bright… But Not Without Its Challenges’. This represents an increase of almost 15 per cent over 2016 and is the third consecutive year of growth in the order of 15-20 per cent per year. The reports for 2018 year-to-date suggest that India is on track to record a fourth straight year of double-digit passenger growth. The strong performance of air passenger demand growth in India has not been confined to just the past few years, however; the total number of air passengers has more than doubled over the past seven years, from a level of 79 million journeys undertaken in 2010, the report said.

With an aim to develop skilled human capital for the aviation industry, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Bird Academy as their regional training partner in India. The partnership was made official during a signing ceremony between Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA and Radha Bhatia, Chairperson, Bird Group. Speaking on the partnership, Conrad Clifford, Regional Vice President- Asia Pacific, IATA said, “India is expected to treble to 520 million passengers travelling to, from or within by 2037. The demand for trained aviation professionals will continue to grow. We look forward to a successful partnership with the Bird Academy to fulfill India’s training requirements.”On the occasion, Bhatia also announced that India will be hosting the next IATA Global Training Partner Conference in April 2019.

Vistara and British Airways have signed a codeshare agreement, further deepening their already existing interline partnership. Under the agreement, British Airways will add its ‘BA’ designator code to approximately 60 Vistara-operated flights each day covering 13 Indian cities, including eight new virtual British Airways destinations, namely Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Goa, Kolkata, Kochi, and Pune. Additionally, the BA code will also be put on Vistara flights between Mumbai and Amritsar, and Chennai and Kolkata. Sales under the codeshare agreement are open on all channels and major GDS systems for flights starting September 27, 2018. Commenting on this milestone partnership, Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara said, “We are delighted to extend our existing interline and through check-in partnership with British Airways to a codeshare agreement. This partnership reaffirms our commitment to taking India’s finest airline brand beyond Indian borders, and it gives us the opportunity of welcoming travellers from around the world to experience the ‘new feeling of flying’ in India with Vistara. We share a lot in common with British Airways, key among which is our focus on delighting customers. We are confident that our respective customers will truly enjoy the reciprocal benefits of this collaboration.” Rishi Kapoor, Head of Alliances, British Airways said, “We have been flying to India for more than 90 years, so it is incredibly exciting for us to be able announce this partnership with such a well-respected carrier.”