Category Archives: Aviation

Come July 25, 2017, Scoot and Tigerair will be putting finishing touches to the integration of their reservation systems, flight schedules and connections, etc. by merging the two airlines to operate under a single brand. With the merger, Tigerair will operate under the Scoot brand, however the Scoot designator code (TZ) will be re-designated as TR. Scoot flight schedules (departure/arrival dates and times) will remain unchanged, i.e. flights will depart as scheduled, however instead of TZ, the designator code will be TR. For passengers travelling on any Scoot flight on, or after 25 Jul 2017, the airline will be sending out a separate email over the next few weeks (either directly or through the travel agency) to inform passengers of updated itinerary with the new Scoot designator code (TR). With the merger, Scoot will operate two different fleets of Boeing 787 Dreamliner (existing Scoot fleet) and Airbus 320 (Tigerair fleet repainted into Scoot livery). Some of their networks will be served by both fleets.

SpiceJet has started its daily direct flight service from Goa to Surat. This will be the first ever direct connection between Goa and Surat by any airline. As the first nonstop flight between Goa and Surat, the new flight will provide travellers with a convenient travel option, thus saving their time while making their journey hassle free. To cater to the peak summer rush, from March to October, SpiceJet has unleashed a whole new summer schedule wherein the airline has added 19 new domestic and 3 new international flights, thus offering more seats and connecting key metros and cities.

Beijing Capital Airlines (JD) joins Hahn Air’s network of 300 air, rail and shuttle partners. The Chinese carrier signed an Interline Electronic Ticketing Agreement (IET) with the German scheduled airline and can now sell its flights even in markets where it is not participating in the local BSP. Travel agents worldwide using the Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, Travelsky, Apollo, Abacus, Worldspan, Axess or Infini can issue the services of Beijing Capital Airlines on Hahn Air’s HR-169 ticket under the IATA code JD. Based at Beijing Airport (PEK), Beijing Capital Airlines operates a fleet of 78 Airbus aircraft and flies more than 200 domestic and international routes. Its network spans 73 destinations in ten countries, including Madrid, Moscow, Sydney, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. As part of the HNA Group, Beijing Capital Airlines launched several new long-haul services in 2016, for example Qingdao-Melbourne, Hangzhou-Chengdu-Madrid, and Hangzhou-Qingdao-Vancouver. The same year, Beijing Capital Airlines was named among the 10 Best Regional Airlines in China by the leading air travel review portal Skytrax. In 2017, Beijing Capital Airlines continues to add new routes, such as Hangzhou-Beijing-Lisbon (the first direct connection between China and Portugal), Qingdao-Moscow, Qingdao-London Heathrow and Qingdao-Sydney. “Beijing Capital Airlines is our 12th interline partner from the People’s Republic of China”, says Steve Knackstedt, Vice President Airline Business Group at Hahn Air. “With Beijing Capital Airlines we are adding a wealth of new routes and destinations to cater to the demand of passengers worldwide. We are happy to support our more than 100,000 travel agent partners in 190 countries with another key player in China which is now available for ticketing on our HR-169 ticket in all major GDSs.”

GoAir is set to expand its operations to Patna with the launch of their fourth daily flight between New Delhi and Patna, with effect from June 11, 2017. The launch of this additional daily service between Patna and New Delhi aims at strengthening GoAir’s extensive network of flights to Patna. This additional flight will benefit the large number of passengers travelling from Patna to New Delhi further bolstering the airline’s already extensive network. The flight G8 133 from DEL-PAT will depart at 15:10 hours and arrive at 16:50 hours daily from June 11, 2017, till October 28, 2017. Upon return, the flight G8 134 from PAT-DEL will depart at 17:20 hours and arrive at 19:10 hours daily from June 11, 2017, till October 28, 2017.

Air India has a market share of 17 per cent in the North East, which seemingly is a profitable sector for the airline. Ashwani Lohani, Chairman & Managing Director, Air India informed that while some sectors are not profitable in the North East, overall the operations remain gainful as they get a viability gap funding from North Eastern Council (NEC). He also informed that they are considering to operate a direct flight between Guwahati and Bangkok or between Guwahati and Kunming thrice a week. He informed that they are planning to start a new flight between New Delhi and Guwahati from June 28, taking the number of flights on this route to two. Also the Guwahati-Kolkata flight is most definitely on the cards.

GoAir has announced the launch of three daily direct flights between Ahmedabad and New Delhi. The airline will give business travellers same day connectivity between these two important cities with effect from June 11, 2017, and a third daily direct flight will also be operational with effect from June 16, 2017. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Managing Director & CEO, GoAir, said, “GoAir is pleased to launch our thrice daily direct service between Ahmedabad and New Delhi. The introduction of this new sector is in keeping with the airline’s growth plans with a focus on scaling up operations gradually. Both Ahmedabad and New Delhi are popular destinations for business, tourism and employment. Strengthening our network from a city like Ahmedabad will help GoAir provide a flexibility of choice to customers along with on time, convenient and an affordable flying experience. We have been growing our route network across the 23 destinations that we are present in and will continue to do so with the addition of new aircraft in our fleet as well.”  

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced the second edition of the Aviation exposition -Aero Expo India 2017 from November 2-5 in New Delhi. The first Aero exposition was organised last year at Indira Gandhi International Airport with the patronage of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The 4-day long Aero Expo is also going to witness India’s first ‘Heli-Expo’ at the Pawan Hans Heliport in Rohini on November 4-5. K.N. Rao, Chairman, Civil Aviation Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry said, “Aero Expo has no doubt helped to bring a major boost to regional air connectivity in line with PM’s recently announced UDAN scheme in India are noteworthy. India is already the fastest growing aviation market in the world and the move to improve Regional Air Connectivity is expected to further boost the industry by providing a new set of growth opportunities to both domestic and international airlines alike along with a new lease to the allied aviation services and skilling industries.”

IndiGo Airlines is all set to start its flights on the Doha-Kochi route in July. Speaking on the new additions, Aditya Ghosh, President & Whole Time Director, IndiGo, said, “In July, we are looking at more flights to Doha from Kerala. We also have flights from Bengaluru to Singapore. We will then have more flights from Doha to Kerala, and may be later, we could start flights to Hyderabad as well as Delhi from Doha. After that, we are looking at Dhaka as a possible new international destination.”

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will be adding a digital experience for air travellers through DigiYatra Platform, which is an industry-led initiative co-ordinated by the Ministry. The move comes in line with Air Sewa which brings together all the stakeholders on a common platform for handling customer grievances and disseminating real-time data. Union Minister for Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju claimed that DigiYatra initiative will transform the flying experience for passengers and position Indian aviation amongst the most innovative air networks in the world. Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, launched a report on DigiYatra on June 8 and said that this initiative aims to bring together entire industry to develop a digital ecosystem that will deliver Indian customers a seamless, consistent and paperless service experience at every touch point of their journey. The Ministry has created a Technical Committee comprising industry stakeholders which will submit its recommendations in 30 days. These propositions would be open for public comments and discussions for another 30 days. These would then be translated into a time-bound action plan. He informed that all aviation stakeholders – airlines, airport operators, security and immigration agencies, cab operators, retail establishment and others are working to devise digital standards which can enable seamless exchange of data and information. He said that these standards can power unique applications which can deliver a delightful experience for air travellers. Sinha also said that the platform will be built on 4 key pillars—Connected Passengers, Connected Airports, Connected Flying and Connected Systems. DigiYatra would offer which can make it possible over a period of time for passengers to plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares …

Jet Airways and Aeromexico, the flag carrier airline of Mexico, have signed a MoU that outlines cooperation in the areas of enabling codeshare flights and frequent flyer programs. As part of the arrangement, both carriers will code on each other’s services between India and Mexico via common gates in Europe (London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle and Amsterdam). To begin with, Jet Airways will place its marketing code ‘9W’ on Aeromexico flights from London Heathrow to Mexico City. In turn, Aeromexico will place its marketing code on Jet Airways’ direct services from London Heathrow to Mumbai and Delhi. The MoU was signed by Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal and Aeromexico’s CEO Andrés Conesa, on the sidelines of the IATA’s AGM in Cancun, Mexico. Goyal said, “We are confident that this new codeshare partnership will stimulate the demand for business and tourist travel between India and Mexico. This comprehensive MoU signed between the two carriers, also includes cooperation in the area of reciprocal Frequent Flyer benefits for members.” Conesa added, “This will build new bridges and connect Mexico to India more easily. This achievement is a manifest of our will to continuously offer new flight destinations to our passengers. Also, by connecting with an important country as India, Aeromexico creates new cultural bonds and tourism exchange between both nations.” The initial codeshare flights via London Heathrow will open for sale as well as travel later this year, subject to government approvals. Flight tickets under the codeshare agreement can be purchased via preferred travel agents or through the two airlines’ sales offices, websites and call centers.