Category Archives: Aviation

On its 18th anniversary, IndiGo has launched its new business product, ‘IndiGoStretch,’ for 12 domestic routes starting in mid-November. Booking for the Delhi-Mumbai route will open on 6 August, with fares starting at ₹18,018. The airline also announced plans to add flights to 7 more international destinations in the current fiscal year, bringing the total to 40.

Murlidhar Mohol, MoS, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), informed that as per DGCA, currently, 56 Boeing 737 Max aircraft are registered and operating in India without engine failures. DGCA ensures aviation safety through rigorous audits. It publishes its Annual Surveillance Plan on its website providing details of the planned surveillance for the year.

After the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) approached the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for the inclusion of several tourism routes for providing better air connectivity to pivotal tourist places, 53 tourism routes were operationalised by MoCA under the RCS-UDAN. Additionally, 48 helicopter routes are connecting hilly regions of the nation.

Sharing how Amadeus’ Air Distribution revenue grew 10.7% in the first half of 2024, driven by growth in volumes and unitary revenue, Luis Maroto, President & CEO of Amadeus, says, “Our Air Distribution bookings increased by 2.9% in the first half of the year, on the back of a normalization in global air traffic growth. Our volume performance was complemented by a positive 7.6% revenue per booking evolution. We also continued advancing on our NDC strategy.”

Sharing his comments on the recent IT outage that crashed 8.5 million computers, Willie Walsh, IATA’s DG, says, “The first lesson is humility. IT glitches happen. And they can happen on a massive scale. My initial thought is to thank travelers for their patience and all those who worked long and hard to return our world to normality. And that is quickly followed by a desire to understand how all industries could be better protected from and prepared for such failures. Indeed, questions are already being raised around the overall resilience of businesses and society to cope, which may lead to greater political scrutiny.”

Travelport, in its 2024 State of Modern Retailing Report, finds that most respondents (88%) agree they would prefer to see all flight options and fares on one screen, which is likely the reason that more than half (54%) said they frequently use a comparison site to search for information before purchasing their ticket. The majority of Millennial (70%) and Gen X (64%) travelers often use online travel agencies (OTAs) to book, citing choice and price transparency as the primary reasons.

The budgetary allocation for the Civil Aviation Ministry has been reduced to ₹2,357.14 crore for the current fiscal ending next March. Meanwhile, the regional air connectivity scheme is set to receive ₹502 crore during the same period. In the budgetary allocation for 2023-24, the amount for the Civil Aviation Ministry was ₹2,922.12 crore.

Sitharaman has raised our hopes when it comes to tourism in India, which bodes well not just for domestic but also inbound tourism, which has been suffering since Covid. Delivering to the states, she highlighted the development of ‘iconic’ tourism centres by the states who will be allowed long-term, interest-free loans for such long-term development. For domestic tourism, the FM announced projects for better port connectivity and more tourism infrastructure, that will be taken up on islands in India, including of course Lakshadweep! All in all, her Budget highlighted promoting investments into India, including its infrastructure projects. In positioning India as a global tourist destination, we’ll also create jobs, stimulate investments and unlock economic opportunities for other sectors. In addition to the measures outlined in the interim budget, I propose the following measures. Vishnupath temple at Gaya and Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar are of immense spiritual significance. Comprehensive development of Vishnupath temple corridor and Mahabodhi temple corridor will be supported, modeled on the successful Kashi Vishwana temple corridor to transform them into world-class pilgrim and tourist destinations. Rajgir, Rajgir holds immense religious significance for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. The 20th Tirthankara Muni Suvaratha temple in the Jain complex, Jain temple complex is ancient. The Sapta Rishi or the seven hot springs form a warm water Brahmkund that is sacred. A comprehensive development initiative for Rajgir will be undertaken. Our government will support the development of Nalanda as a tourist center besides reviving Nalanda University to its glorious stature. Odisha’s scenic beauty, temples, monuments, craftsmanship, wildlife sanctuaries, natural landscapes and pristine beaches make it an ultimate tourism destination. Our government will provide assistance for their development to Odisha …

With the aim of Viksit Bharat by 2047, the Interim Budget 2024 yet again showcased a lofty imagery of the ‘new and improved’ India. However, it does fleetingly mention tourism and its development – directly and indirectly. To build a foundation for future development, the FM underlined its Startup Credit Guarantee Schemes that will encourage new businesses in various sectors including, hopefully, tourism. She mentioned that the country ‘is capable of creating more opportunities’ which cannot be further from the truth. Sitharaman added that the focus will be on ffostering and sustaining growth to create great opportunities for all and to fulfil aspirations. She said that the MSME will be an important element of this policy. Coming to aviation, she said that it has been ‘galvanized in the past 10 years’ with number of airports doubled, expansion of the UDAN scheme, 517 new routes carrying 1.3 crore passengers, and the expansion of existing and new airports that will continue, she committed. Mentioning the success of G20 meets that took place across India, she said the country has made itself an attractive destination for MICE. ‘The corporates want to explore India and religious tourism offers great opportunities.

A lot is riding on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s 7th Union Budget presentation, to be aired today. This makes her the first FM to present seven Union Budgets in a row! This Budget is an important one for ‘Amrit Kaal’ and will decide the direction for India’s economy for the next five years. It has the potential to build a strong foundation of our dream of Viksit Bharat, the Prime Minister has said. As the industry braces itself for it, it does so with cautious hope – afraid of being let down yet again due to the absence of any mention of tourism, yet hopeful that perhaps this could be the moment when the sector begins to appear in the FM’s horizon. Watch this space for more updates and industry reactions on the Budget.