Category Archives: Aviation

Now, passengers can select on-board entertainment in advance from the comfort of your own home with the Lufthansa Companion App. For the first time, passengers will have the option of making a selection from the on-board program from home before setting off and adding their favorite items to a playlist. The on-board program is available up to six weeks in advance. Once on board, passengers then synchronise their personal favourite playlist with the screen in front of the seat, and there is also the option to use the own mobile device as a second screen. During the flight, passengers can then choose something to watch from their favorites list, and at the same time call up flight information, go on social media websites via FlyNet, do a little online shopping in the WorldShop, or find out a few things about the destination they are heading for.

IndiGo has communicated to Delhi International Airport Private Ltd (DIAL) that it is ready to shift its domestic flights to Terminal 2. The airline, along with SpiceJet and GoAir operate from T1. Indigo has reportedly told DIAL that they are ready to shift to Terminal 2 and make that an all-IndiGo terminal. They have also given DIAL the option to keep Indigo fully at Terminal 1 and shift all others to T2, and that they are fine with both decisions. The main priority for Indigo right now is to have all their domestic operations under one roof for the sake of passenger convenience. Indigo is against DIAL’s idea of splitting domestic flights between T1 and T2.

Finnair has launched its first flights to Goa this year, as part of its expansion in long-haul network. Starting November 29, 2017, the airline will start flying to the Indian beach destination, operating two weekly flights for the winter season, ending on March 21, 2018. Services will run every Wednesday and Sunday using an Airbus A330 aircraft. Apart from that, Finnair will add one more weekly flight to Delhi, taking the total frequency to six weekly flights next winter. It will also add two additional weekly frequencies on Helsinki-Bangkok route, taking the total to 16 flights per week. The airline will also add two more weekly services to Singapore, making it a daily destination, while three more weekly frequencies will be added to Hong Kong, taking the year-round total to 10 flights per week. “With the expected arrival of four new Airbus A350 aircraft in 2017, we are pressing ahead with our growth strategy,” said Juha Järvinen, Finnair’s chief commercial officer. “These newest additions will offer even more travel options and flexibility for our customers travelling between Asia and Europe through our efficient Helsinki airport hub which guarantees a short and smooth connection,” he added.

The Etihad Aviation Group Board of Directors has announced that James Hogan will step down as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company in the second half of 2017. The Board and Hogan first initiated the transition process last year with the formation in May of the Etihad Aviation Group, a diversified global aviation and travel organisation. H.E. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of the Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We are very grateful to James. In just ten years, he has overseen the growth of the company from a 22 plane regional carrier into a 120 aircraft global airline and aviation group, with seven airline equity partnerships which together serve more than 120 million guests every year. It is a business which has set new benchmarks for service and innovation. Under his leadership, the company has provided new opportunities for thousands of Emiratis and has been a critical element in the remarkable progress of Abu Dhabi and the UAE. We look forward to James’ continued association with Abu Dhabi in new ways.” Commenting on current priorities for the business, H.E. Mazrouei said, “To position the company for continued success in a challenging market, the Board and management team will continue an ongoing, company-wide strategic review. We must ensure that the airline is the right size and the right shape. We must continue to improve cost efficiency, productivity and revenue. We must progress and adjust our airline equity partnerships even as we remain committed to the strategy.” Last month, Etihad Airways unveiled plans to create a new European leisure airline group in a joint venture with TUI AG. A new codeshare agreement with Lufthansa and an …

Under the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) Regional Connectivity Scheme, the Airports Authority Of India (AAI) has received 43 initial proposals from 11 bidders covering 190 routes. These proposals are now open for counter-bidding. Under the scheme, 30 currently served airports, 12 currently underserved airports and 50 currently unserved airports (making a total of 92 airports) are expected to be connected based on the initial proposals.

Global assistance and travel insurance provider, TrawellTag Cover-More has announced a partnership with GoAir India wherein the insurance provider will offer specialised travel assistance services including insurance for GoAir passengers opting for domestic travel. The association rides on Cover-More’s upgrade of their proprietary optimisation platform, ‘Impulse’ which works in real time to offer travel protection plans matching the customer’s profile based on the details provided while booking tickets. Cover-More’s expertise has enabled it to serve clients like Malaysia Airlines, Air New Zealand & Virgin Atlantic. This alliance perfectly marries with GoAir’s motto of ‘Fly Smart’ that is aimed at offering passengers a holistic, quality-assured, and time-efficient service through value for money in fares and services. Dev Karvat, MD & CEO, TrawellTag Cover-More, said “’Impulse’ is the key to our new strategic partnership as it not only equips the travelers with holistic travel protection but also enables our client to enhance ancillary revenue though an agile online technology. Indians are gradually realizing the risks of travelling even within the country and service providers have taken up the onus of educating travellers and ensuring they travel smart and safe.” He added that TrawellTag Cover-More has upgraded its team and infrastructure to provide dedicated support to GoAir in product innovation, claims management and emergency assistance.

Nepal Airlines Corporation recently organised a get-together for agents in Mumbai. After successfully operating since September 2015, Deputy Director, Marketing and Sales, Archana Khadka had flown down from Nepal especially for the event  to express her gratitude for their sincere efforts in promoting their product. She has assured her full cooperation and support for all the future endeavours. The meeting involved several exchange of suggestion and resolution of queries aimed towards mutual benefits in the longer run. It was attended by all the leading travel agencies like Akbar Travels, Riya Travel, Thomas Cook, SOTC, Kesari, Creative Travels, Atlas Online and TBO along with Nishi Travels, Vision Holidays, and Indo-Nepal Holidays.

In its statistical analysis for last month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) informed that  the number of passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-December, 2016, were 998.88 lakh as against 810.91 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year, thereby registering a growth of 23.18 per cent. According to the data, domestic air passenger traffic increased by 23.91 per cent during December to 95.52 lakh from 77.09 lakh reported during the corresponding month of last year. In November 2016, the passenger traffic had risen by 22.45 per cent to 89.66 lakh. SpiceJet registered the highest passenger load factor (PLF) during the month under review at 93.7 per cent followed by Indigo at 91.4 per cent and GoAir at 90.7 per cent. “Not only have we scored a hat-trick with the best on-time performance (OTP) for the third consecutive month in a row, we have also recorded over 90 per cent passenger load factor for 21 successive months,” said G.P. Gupta, Chief Administrative Officer, SpiceJet. The data showed that SpiceJet led the industry with 70 per cent punctuality rate at four major airports of Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. It was followed by Jet Airways and JetLite (64.3), Vistara (64.2), GoAir (63.6), IndiGo (61.6), and Air India (59). The data also highlighted that IndiGo led the industry with the highest market share of 41.6 per cent, followed by Jet Airways (15), Air India (13.3), SpiceJet (12.8), and GoAir (8.00). Vistara reported a market share of 3.2 per cent, followed by AirAsia India (2.8), JetLite (2.5), Air Costa (0.6), Trujet (0.4) and Air Carnival (0.1). (Source: Hindustan Times)

Working on boosting regional connectivity, Air India is starting new domestic routes and beefing up frequency on existing ones. A direct flight service to Port Blair will commence from Delhi in May this year. While responding to the constant public demand, Air India will also add second frequency on Delhi-Nagpur-Delhi, fourth frequency on Delhi-Ahmedabad-Delhi sector in March 2017 and second frequency on Delhi-Leh-Delhi sector in the month of May.

As part of its expansion drive and the success of the Delhi- San Francisco route, Air India is set to start another route to the United States and will start direct flight operations on Delhi-Washington-Delhi route in July 2017. This flight will be the fifth direct connection with the US and shall be operated by Boeing 777 aircraft. In addition to this, in May 2017, Air India is looking to offer a real treat to Indian travelers by connecting Bangkok, one of the most favored tourist destinations by starting direct flight operations on Chandigarh-Bangkok-Chandigarh and Kolkata-Bangkok-Kolkata sectors besides starting a second frequency from Delhi.