Category Archives: Aviation

Ajay Singh, CMD, SpiceJet, has said, “The budget is growth oriented and yet prudent and responsible. Coming as it does in a year when India has assumed the presidency of the G20, it is an object lesson in how an economy should be managed in a crisis.”

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that tourism and civil aviation are two sides of the same coin. “These two sectors are conjoined twins in terms of seeing development of each other’s sector,” he claimed.

Campbell Wilson, CEO, Air India, has shared that Air India has completed one year of returning to the TATA Group. An infographic on the achievements in the last year, which claims that the airline’s average daily revenue has doubled in the last one year.

Sharing his views on high airfares, Rakesh Narayanan, Vice President, Regional GM (Asia Pacific), Travel Solutions Airline Sales, Sabre, says, “We see strong airfares for domestic and international flights, including for leisure travel, which tends to book in advance, and for close-in corporate travel. It is also important to note that the average fare disparity between purchase dates is very small. Historically, there has been a more pronounced difference in the average fares based on advance purchase periods. Airlines are continuing to face challenges in bringing capacity back. However, higher air fares encourage carriers to increase the number of seats they plan to fly. We’re already seeing this with the large US network carriers, and we expect to see this trend elsewhere globally. Currently, we do remain in a capacity-constrained period with higher-than-normal fares, but it’s important to note that consumers remain eager to fly despite these challenges. The good news is that airlines and airports are working aggressively to improve their operational throughput. They want to increase aircraft utilization and seat capacity and, as capacity meets demand, we expect fares to rationalise.”

THAI Smile Airways continues expanding international routes by launching Jaipur – Bangkok flight to underscore its aviation standards and excellent service. The new flight aims at accommodating those targeted groups who are looking for convenient travelling from a full service airline, while opening a new window of adventure for the Thai passengers to explore the Pink City of India. It also offers exclusive travelling experience for Indian passengers with the best services. The A320-200 Airbus will fly directly from Jaipur to Bangkok where passengers can continue travel connections to other cities in Thailand and other countries conveniently. The service flight operates 4 flights a week and starts on January 5, 2023 onwards. Thamanoon Kuprasert, Acting Chief Executive Officer of THAI Smile Airways, a subsidiary airline of THAI Airways International Public Company (THAI), stated that “We are proud and ready to reintroduce the another route to India, that is between Jaipur – Bangkok. This is to underscore our proactive strategy in expanding international routes while encouraging passengers from both countries to explore the new travelling experience. Apart from being the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, with more than 3 million of populations, Jaipur is globally recognized as the Pink City of India. There are plenty of interesting tourist attractions, especially for the art and cultural activities and resources. Opening this new route is to answer to the demands of the Indian tourists who love the charming of Thailand. The excellent services are provided by our flight attendants who are committed to serving the passengers with humble and smile, which is the unique of Thainess that is recognized worldwide.” Vachirachai Sirisumpan, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand …

Shri Narayan Rao, Deputy MD, GMR Group and Chairman ASSOCHAM National Council on Civil Aviation, has said that Tier 1 and 2 airports should be privatised. “The government is planning another 25 airports in India for privatization. The most important stakeholders are airports,” he added.

Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has been named top in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) for punctuality. As per the results of the 2022 On-Time Performance Review by global aviation analytics leader, Cirium, the airline’s on-time arrivals stood at 91.38%, almost 5% ahead of the region’s second highest ranking airline. The annual Cirium On-Time Performance Review is considered the global gold standard for airline   and airport performance, its results based on data collected from more than 600 sources of real-time flight information. It defines on-time flights as those that arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled gate arrival. Captain Nasser bin Ahmed Al Salmi, Chief Operating Officer at Oman Air, said, “During 2022, the global operational environment has been challenging, with many airports affected by disruptions and resource challenges, as well as the lingering effects of Covid-19. Despite such a backdrop, we have continued to maintain an excellent service record. To have achieved this recognition for on-time performance against some of the world’s most reputable airlines is a testament to the dedication and hard work of all Oman Air staff across our global network. As we enter into 2023, we look forward to continuing to pursue excellence in all elements of our guest experience, from punctuality to convenience, our products and services, and of course our signature Omani hospitality.” Continuing to position itself as a major international carrier, Oman Air has set several benchmarks for quality, comfort and hospitality in the last year, earning itself the 2023 Five-Star Major Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), among others. Evolving to meet the demands of a rapidly shifting market, the airline has made …

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that there were only 74 airports in the country till 2014, today this number including heliports and water aerodromes has increased to 148 which is a 100 per cent increase in eight years.

Akasa Air, India’s youngest airline, today introduced its in-flight safety manual in Braille for persons with visual impairments. In keeping with the airline’s core value of empathy and ensuring that each of our customers have a warm and consistent experience, the Braille in-flight safety manual provides an explanation of the safety instructions, in English and Hindi. Akasa Air has partnered with The Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC) to develop this Braille in-flight safety manual. The Braille in-flight safety manual provided to passengers onboard upon request, covers detailed instructions on seatbelt operation, location of emergency exits and life jackets, tactile diagrams that help orient passengers to aircraft and aircraft positions and other essential safety information. Commenting on the launch, Belson Coutinho, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, Akasa Air, said, “We are committed to being socially cohesive with a focus on being dependable, warm, efficient, and reliable and our Braille in-flight safety manual is a testimony to this commitment. We are extremely grateful to Dr. Sam Taraporevala and the entire team at XRCVC for their guidance and constant support in our endeavour towards inclusive travel.” Dr. Sam Taraporevala, Executive Director, XRCVC who helped develop the manual, said “The Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), a department of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai (www.xrcvc.org), is a national level support and advocacy centre for persons with disabilities. XRCVC was set up in 2003 as an Assistive Technology support centre for students with visual impairment in higher education. Akasa Air’s Braille in-flight safety manual is an example of an airline taking a step towards social inclusion.”

In view of rapid expansion of air services within India and on international routes to/from India and with the increase in the volume of passenger traffic, it has been noticed that sometimes Airlines downgrade passengers (tickets). For example when a passenger who has booked his ticket on first class, business class or premium economy, is downgraded to a lower class at the time of check-in due to various reasons like unserviceable seats, change of aircraft, overbooking, etc. In order to cater to such situations, DGCA is in the process of amending its Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) “Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights.” to protect the rights of air travellers affected by downgrading of their ticket. The amendment will allow the passenger, who is downgraded involuntarily from his booked class of ticket, to receive the full value of ticket including taxes as refund from the airline and the airline will carry the passenger free of cost in the next available class.  However, this proposal will go through stakeholder consultation and the final regulation shall be published and made applicable afterwards.