Category Archives: Aviation

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.

In a bid to attract foreign tourists to India during summer, MOT has come up with a campaign to develop destinations that have good weather during this time. Manisha Saxena, DG, MOT, says, “The idea is to dispel the notion that India is too hot in summers, and attract tourists from warmer countries like Middle East, South East Asia and African countries. We hve picked over 50 destinations to actively promote them as tourist attractions.” Efforts are on to develop places like Bir Billing, Kinnaur, Dalhousie and Tirthan in HP, Patnitop in Jammu & Kashmir, Auli in Uttarakhand, Wayanad in Kerala, Thenzawl in Mizoram and Kurseong in West Bengal.

Girisons Airways India, the Direct Selling Agent of Cyprus Airways, along with Cyprus Airways announces special flight-hotel packages for Indian travellers. Cyprus Airways is the national carrier of Cyprus operates flights to all major cities of Europe & Dubai from Larnaca. Indian travellers can now visit Cyprus on their European holidays. To facilitate this, we have now introduced “Flight + Hotel” packages. This package includes return flight from Rome/Milan/Zurich/Paris/Brussels to Larnaca (Cyprus) plus three nights hotel accommodation on all inclusive basis. Shreyder Elena of Cyprus Airways and Vivek Jain of Girisons Airways, are very excited about this package and wish to introduce Cyprus as a holiday destination to Indian travellers. These packages can now be booked in India through Girisons Airways located in Colaba, Mumbai via +91 9820060421

As per Mastercard’s annual report, in 2024, more Indians are traveling globally. In the first three months of 2024, 97 million passengers travelled, with 21% surge in domestic air traffic, and 4% in international travel. Indians are increasingly exploring key markets, with a 53% increase in visits to Japan, 248% to Vietnam, and 59% to the US, compared to 2019.

Olivier Ponti, Director of Intelligence & Marketing, Forwardkeys, shared that high airfare posed a significant obstacle recently due to strong demand and limited supply. As capacity returns, airfare is beginning to see a dip, although remaining 4% higher than 2019 levels by the end of April 2024. Despite some fluctuations, the global trend indicates a positive shift.

Vietnam Airlines started its maiden flight from New Delhi to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh on 15 May. Nguyen Trung Hieu, Country Manager India, Vietnam Airlines, said, “The move symbolises our commitment to providing passengers with world-class travel experiences.” They have also opened an informative centre for travellers’ convenience.