Category Archives: Aviation

Jet Airways will introduce three new international services this winter, besides reinforcing six existing routes with additional frequencies. The carrier will introduce its first non-stop service between New Delhi and Riyadh. It will also deploy additional frequencies on the Mumbai-Riyadh, Mumbai-Kuwait, Delhi-Doha and Delhi-Dammam sectors. Effective October 29, new non-stop flights will commence connecting Bengaluru and Chennai to the airline’s gateways in Amsterdam and Paris, respectively, as part of the carrier’s strategy to connect more cities, especially in the South of the country to destinations in Europe and North America. The airline is the first to operate flights on these routes which, along with a third daily flight on the increasingly popular Mumbai-London sector, will give guests a greater choice of convenient connections to other European cities and destinations in North America. Jet Airways will deploy its Airbus A330 aircraft on the Chennai-Paris and Bengaluru-Amsterdam routes The new intercontinental services to Amsterdam and Paris will operate in codeshare with KLM, Air France and Delta Air Lines. Guests who are members of Frequent Flyer programmes of the codeshare partners – JetPrivilege (JP), Flying Blue and SkyMiles will also be able to easily accrue and redeem points on each other. Jet Airways is also adding new frequencies on certain select routes, including the extremely popular Mumbai-London Heathrow as well as Delhi-Singapore, further enhancing connectivity and choice for guests travelling between North India, United Kingdom and South East Asia. Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, “Jet Airways’ network will see new introductions, in Europe and the Gulf that will strengthen our commitment to provide our guests with wider choice, convenience and connectivity over our hubs in Mumbai and Delhi and onwards …

Indian airlines achieved a 36th consecutive month of double-digit domestic traffic growth as demand rose by 16 per cent, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The demand for domestic travel climbed 7.6 per cent this August as compared to August 2016, on pace with the 7.5 per cent growth recorded in July. Capacity rose 6.9 per cent and load factor increased 0.6 percentage points to 84.5 per cent. All markets reported demand increases with the exception of Australia. The international passenger demand for August rose 7.0 per cent compared to August 2016. All regions recorded increases, led by airlines in Latin America. Capacity climbed 6.1 per cent and load factor edged up 0.8 percentage points to 84.5 per cent. “Following the strong summer traffic season in the northern hemisphere, 2017 is on course to be another year of strong traffic growth. However, some important demand drivers are easing, particularly lower fares. As we head towards the end of the year we still expect growth to continue, but potentially at a slower pace,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA. The global passenger traffic data for August indicated that demand climbed 7.2 per cent as compared to August 2016. The total capacity increased by 6.3 per cent and load factor climbed 0.7 percentage points to 84.5 per cent, which was just below the record for the month set in 2015.

Vistara has completed the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit or IOSA, cementing its status as one of the world’s safest airlines. The audit confirms Vistara’s compliance with internationally approved aviation safety standards across multitudinous parameters in operational management and control systems, including corporate organisation and management, flight operations, operational control, cabin operations, aircraft engineering and maintenance, ground handling, cargo operations and operational security. Vistara joined IATA’s IOSA Registry on September 25, 2017. Commenting on the achievement, Phee Teik Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “At Vistara, maintaining operational excellence is a business imperative, engrained in our DNA. Safety and security are the most important aspects of it, and so they remain our highest priorities in everything we do. Achieving this milestone in so little time in our journey of less than three years is a testament to our commitment to delivering a safe and seamless flying experience to millions of our customers.” Inclusion of the airline in the list of operators to have completed the IOSA means the recognition of Vistara by the global aviation industry as a safe and secure airline that meets the strictest international requirements. The total accident rate for IOSA carriers between 2011 and 2015 was 3.3 times lower than the rate for non-IOSA operators.

Bird ExecuJet Airport Services, a joint venture between Bird Group and ExecuJet Aviation Group, has been given Level – I accreditation by the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) for its Fixed Based Operation (FBO) in New Delhi. This accreditation makes Bird ExecuJet Airport Services the first FBO in the country to hold this Industry Leading Certification. Bird ExecuJet is developing a world class FBO/MRO at Indira Gandhi International Airport and currently offers maintenance services from 2 exclusive hangars. The existing facility offers excellent logistics and operational readiness for its clients within India and also supports international clients and clients from neighbouring countries. IS-BAH is a joint programme between the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and offers voluntary global code of best practices for business aviation ground handlers. It follows a long-established structure of International Standard for Business Aircraft Operators Programme and sets best practices for FBOs globally.  

Vistara launched ‘Vistara Direct’, a programme under which the airline offers an array of benefits to travellers who book tickets directly on Vistara’s website www.airvistara.com or on Vistara’s mobile app (available on Apple iOS and Android), for bookings effective September 28, 2017, onward. Benefits for those booking direct include one free change or cancellation within 24 hours of booking (as long as travel is at least 7 days in the future), complimentary fast-track priority handling at the airport at dedicated counters (for check-in, baggage, and boarding), double Club Vistara (CV) Points for CV members, and an additional 5kg check-in luggage allowance. Vistara Direct also provides several additional benefits such as lower fees and faster refunds, timely and assured email and SMS flight status alerts, and attractive periodic upgrade offers. In addition, for a limited time, MobiKwik users will get 10% cashback upto a maximum of ₹600 in the form of SuperCash on all bookings made on Vistara’s website.

Jet Airways has launched JetEscapes Holidays – a host of exciting domestic and international holidays for winter getaways. JetEscapes Holidays are tailor-made itineraries to a multitude of destinations which includes return economy airfare, airport transfers, three-star hotel accommodation with breakfast and sightseeing. These all-inclusive domestic and international holidays start from Rs. 11,390 and Rs. 23,470 respectively. Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, “Jet Airways’ winter holidays offer extensive choices to cater to everyone’s needs. Take advantage of our wide domestic and international network to find exciting holidays that promise to leave a memorable and unforgettable experience.”

Thai Airways has added Vienna to its European network in order to cater to the increasing demand from India to destinations beyond Thailand. The airline will start operations from November 16, 2017. The flight is already online for sales and aims to optimise connectivity at Bangkok for passengers from Southeast Asia and Australia, reveled Bryan Ernest Banston, Vice President-Sales, Thai Airways International. He said, “With regards to the India market, it remains an important market for us. The Thai Smile program that we have, covers Tier-II cities like Jaipur. We also see a lot of traffic from India going beyond Thailand to Australia and New Zealand. We especially see growing traffic going to China from India’s secondary cities.”

Alitalia is ready to make a comeback to India after it stopped operating into the country in 2008. The Italian airline will start a new direct flight between Delhi and Rome from October 30, 2017. The new daily New Delhi-Rome service will operate for the entire winter season until March 24, 2018. The connection was launched to meet the increasing demand for flights between the two countries. The new connection would be Alitalia’s second new intercontinental destination of 2017, after Male, Maldives (from 31 October), and the extension of direct flights to Los Angeles, USA, for the upcoming winter season. Italy, is the second European country, after Great Britain, for arrivals from India. The flight will be on Airbus A330, which is equipped with exclusive ‘Made in Italy’ amenities. Business Class guests can relax in luxurious Italian brand Poltrona Frau leather seats that fully recline to a comfortable flatbed position, and enjoy award-winning onboard dining featuring the best of Italian regional food and wine. All classes feature newly renovated cabins and include Wi-Fi connectivity for phone calls, Internet and e-mail. Passengers arriving at Rome Fiumicino International Airport from New Delhi will get easy connections to 39 cities in Italy, Europe, North Africa and the Americas served by Alitalia including cultural capitals (such as Florence, Pisa, Venice, Paris) and many more (such as four US destinations, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Miami, as well as Havana). Departures from New Delhi operate every day at 4.40 am, and arrive in Rome at 9.00 am local time. Guests arriving at Rome Fiumicino airport from New Delhi with connections to other cities will have a Transit Team to assist them and ensure they …

A new campus of Indian Aviation Academy was launched in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. P. Ashok Gajapati Raju, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, inaugrated the campus in the presence of R. N. Choubey, Secretary, Civil Aviation; Dr. Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, Airports Authority of India (AAI); Dr. Dewakar Goel, Director, Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) and Kumar Rajesh Chandra, DG, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). The academy is a joint venture by BCAS, AAI and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

In a bid to improve and develop airport infrastructure to meet the growing traffic needs, Airports Authority of India (AAI) is taking up new development works at Lucknow, Deoghar and Allahabad airports. Apart from this, AAI will also develop a greenfield airport at Hirasar, Rajkot. AAI plans to construct new integrated passenger terminal building at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, with an estimated cost of Rs. 1230 crores resultant of the increasing passenger traffic during last five years. The new terminal will be able to handle 4000 passengers during peak hour and 6.35 million passengers per annum. In addition, AAI will develop Deoghar airport in Jharkhand, to facilitate the joint use of civil operation up to Airbus-320 and DRDO operation up to C-130 type of aircraft. The work will be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs. 401.34 crore on fixed cost basis and Rs. 427.43 crore on completion cost basis. An MoU was signed between the Government of Jharkhand, DRDO and AAI in March, 2017. As per the MOU, there will be financial input to the tune of Rs. 50 crore by Govt. of Jharkhand, Rs. 200 crore by DRDO and balance cost to be funded by AAI. To meet the demand of increasing air travel in Allahabad, a new civil enclave at Allahabad will be developed by AAI at an estimated cost of Rs. 125.76 crores. The new terminal is to be made operational before the ‘Ardh Kumbh Mela’ to be held in January 2019. AAI will also take up the work of development of greenfield airport at Hirasar, Rajkot in Gujrat on Build, Operate and Maintain basis. Govt. of Gujarat has provided the land free …