Category Archives: Aviation

Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “The merger of Air India and Vistara, is a positive development. Air India has struggled to compete in the aviation market for years, and the merger will make it one of the biggest airlines globally and a national carrier for India.

Café Akasa, Akasa Air’s onboard meal service, has added a special festive meal to celebrate Mother’s Day. This exclusive meal is available until 31 May across the network. All Café Akasa meals are a unique blend of traditional and contemporary flavors specially curated by culinary experts. This curation includes a flavourful Methi Thepla with Sweet Mango Pickle, served with unique and indulgent gourmet French-inspired Dhokla filled with Green Chutney, accompanied by a seasonal Mango Shrikhand and a choice of beverage. The delectable meal has been created to reminisce the memories of moments spent around the family table and offers the airline’s customers the same comforting flavors of a mom-cooked meal, in the skies. Since the launch of operations in August 2021, Akasa Air has introduced specially curated meal options that are inspired by regional specialties associated with celebrations during popular festivals and special occasions like Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussehra, Diwali, Christmas, Makar Sankranti, Valentine’s Day, Holi, and Eid al-Fitr. The airline also offers a pre-selection of cakes on its regular menu for flyers who want to celebrate the birthdays of their loved ones in the skies. About Cafe Akasa Akasa Air’s buy-on-board meal service is Café Akasa. With a wide choice of multi-cuisine, tasty, quality, and healthy meals, including industry-first options, the offering provides customers with a unique and indulgent gourmet experience in the skies. An array of unique festival menus and quality fusion meal offerings, inspired by Indian cuisines and celebrations as well as industry-first options like pasta, Vietnamese rice rolls, and beverages like hot chocolate are available on board, all year round. As an environmentally progressive airline, Akasa Air’s packaging of perishable meals is ethically sourced from sustainably grown …

Sharing his views on the immediate repercussions of Go First bankruptcy, Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI, says, “Aviation is a business fraught with uncertainties. With capacity being pulled out after the Go First airline development, airfares will increase further, especially since we are in the peak holiday season.”

Air India has launched a non-stop flights between Delhi and Amsterdam. It will operate from June 11, 2023 with a two-class Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner four times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. This is Air India’s eighth continental European city to be served. The addition of Amsterdam brings the total number of non-stop flights between India and Europe to 77 per week. Campbell Wilson, CEO and MD, Air India, said, “With the launch of this new non-stop flight to Amsterdam, Air India adds further breadth to our long-haul network and more options for our customers. Together with the three other European routes started in recent months, and others to come, it supports our objective of establishing Delhi as a significant international hub.”

Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have signed an MoU to expand their interline agreement and provide travellers additional itinerary options when visiting the UAE. This first of its kind agreement between the two UAE carriers aims to capitalise on opportunities to boost tourism to the UAE from key source markets by enabling visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary. This summer, customers of each airline will be able to purchase a single ticket to fly into either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, with a seamless return via the other airport. The new agreement also provides travellers planning to explore the UAE with the flexibility of one-stop ticketing for their full journey and convenient baggage check-in.

In a statement issued by Goa First airline, it has said that in order to recover losses, it has sought compensation of approximately INR 8,000 crores in the SIAC arbitration. If it is successful in the arbitration, it is hoped that, the airline will be able to address the liabilities of its creditors. The statement adds that, however at this stage, in the absence of Pratt & Whitney not providing the required number of spare leased engines in accordance with the order issued by the emergency arbitrator, the airline is no longer in a position to continue to meet its financial obligations.

Building on its robust presence in India, Lufthansa today announced the introduction of two new routes – Munich to Bangalore and Frankfurt to Hyderabad.  The new flights on the Munich-Bangalore route will be operational three times a week, with the first flight scheduled on November 3, 2023. The flights from Frankfurt-Hyderabad will commence operations in the coming winter and combined these flights represent the first new routes in Asia Pacific for the Group. This expansion underlines Lufthansa’s long-term vision to strengthen its footprint in the Indian market by catering to the growing population of young working professionals. The brand intends to make the best of India’s untapped growth opportunity – especially in the post-COVID era – by providing consumers with the most premium travel experiences during their international trips, be it for business or leisure. With more than 50 weekly services to India, the Lufthansa Group tradition in India dates back nearly a century, and these new routes will strength its position as the leading European airline group on the subcontinent.

CAPA India has said that the aviation policy should plan for airport capacity that will last for a generation and beyond, and which is developed ahead of demand. “Delhi and Mumbai need to start planning for 3rd airports, for which land acquisition should commence immediately,” it was stated at its 35th Research Briefing.

Passenger Load Factor (PLF) for leading airlines like Interglobe Aviation, Spicejet, Air India, and GoFirst has dipped. DGCA revealed Air India’s market share for March dipped from 8.9% to 8.8%; while Spicejet’s went from 7.1% to 6.4%. Vistara saw a jump from 8.7% to 8.9% and Indigo’s went from 55.9% to 56.8%.

Global airline capacity will be lower than expected this year and stay constrained until 2025 at the earliest, warned IATA director general Willie Walsh, due to delays in new aircraft deliveries and a lack of availability of spare parts. “I can’t see anything really improving or significantly improving probably until 2025 at the earliest and it may even go beyond that,” Walsh said.