Category Archives: Aviation

Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, declare the addition of Doha (Qatar), its 50th destination, to its growing network. The airline will be operating direct, 4x weekly flights between Mumbai and Doha, starting from 15 December 2023 using its A321neo aircraft. Bookings for the flights are being progressively opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents. Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara said, “We are thrilled to introduce direct flights between Mumbai and Doha – the capital of Qatar and a burgeoning financial hub in the Middle East. Given the city’s growing economic significance, this move not only further solidifies our presence in the Gulf region but also enhances our network offering from our Mumbai hub. We hope that our customers will appreciate having the option of flying with India’s best airline on this route.” Vistara will accept all eligible customers meeting visa/entry requirements in both countries, as specified by the respective government bodies. Vistara strongly encourages its customers to fully understand these guidelines before making their bookings. Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards, besides being lauded for world-class cabin cleanliness and upholding high safety standards. The only Indian carrier to feature amongst World’s Top 20 Airlines, Vistara has been named ‘16th Best Airline’ globally, while also being recognized as the ‘Best Airline in India and South Asia’ for the third time in a row, ‘Best Airline Staff in India and South Asia’ for the fifth consecutive year, ‘Best Cabin Crew in India and South Asia’ for the third time in …

Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of the Tata group and Singapore Airlines, inaugurated daily, non-stop flights between Delhi and Bali. The inaugural flight, operated on Vistara’s A321LR aircraft, commenced from Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi at 00:30 Hours (IST) on 01 December 2023 and arrived at Denpasar International Airport, Bali (DPS) at 11:05 Hours (WITA). Vistara’ s A321LR with three-class seating configuration is distinguished for its exceptional features including contemporary interiors, in-seat power/USB charging ports, state-of-the-art In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system, live TV and onboard Wi-Fi to accentuate the overall in-flight experience for customers. Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “Bali is one of the most coveted holiday havens for travellers in India and we are excited to be the only airline currently to launch direct connectivity between Delhi and Bali. Given the close commercial and cultural ties that India and Indonesia share, Bali has also rapidly grown to be a key destination for corporate travel and MICE. We are excited to bring the Best Airline in India and South Asia to Bali and are confident that Vistara with its world-class product and services will be a much-preferred choice for customers travelling on this new route.” Mr. Faik Fahmi expressed PT Angkasa Pura I (AP1) President Director,  enthusiasm and optimism regarding the opening of this route. “We welcome Vistara to Bali. After a long time, finally today Bali is connected directly with India via the inaugural flight operated by Vistara. This deserves to be recorded in the history books of AP1; this long-awaited flight route is officially operational today.” SCHEDULE OF FLIGHTS BETWEEN DELHI AND BALI EFFECTIVE 01 DECEMBER 2023 Sector Flight No. Days of …

Domestic traffic forecast for FY2024 has been revised downwards slightly by CAPA from 160mn to 155mn airline passengers, due to the sudden grounding of GoFirst, scaling down of SpiceJet operations, greater focus by IndiGo on international routes, more aircraft on the ground than expected, due to supply chain issues becoming more, rather than less serious, and unexpected weakness in demand during October and first half November.

The Global Quarterly Trend Report by FCM Consulting listed a major aviation takeaway for Q3-2023, which is that fuel, cost recovery, sustainability and fleet upgrades will continue to impact the airlines. 3 per cent -7 per cent rise in fares is predicted by the report.

Sharing its data on the global top 10 busiest domestic airline routes in November 2023, OAG has found that the Mumbai – New Delhi route ranks tenth on the list with 596,440 seats in total on the route. This is the only Indian airline route that figures on this list. Number one is Jeju International – Seoul Gimpo route with 1,200,905 route.

Oman Air has been awarded the 2024 Five-Star Major Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) for the fourth consecutive year. The APEX Five Star and Four Star Airline Awards, formerly APEX Official Airline Ratings™, were created based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback and insights gathered through APEX’s partnership with TripIt from Concur, the world’s highest-rated travel-organising app. Nearly one million flights were rated by passengers across more than 600 airlines from around the world using a five-star scale, and are independently certified by a professional external auditing company. The award is the latest in a string of accolades Oman Air has received from APEX, including the 2022 Passenger Choice Award® for Best Seat Comfort in the Middle East, as well as the Five-Star Major Airline rankings for 2023, 2022 and 2021. The airline was also recently named ‘Best Airline Staff in the Middle East’ at the Skytrax 2023 World Airline Awards, a testament to its unwavering commitment to setting new benchmarks for guest experience, year on year.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has pulled up Air India for the second time in less than 18 months for not providing adequate facilities to passengers who were denied boarding. The aviation regulator has stated that it has issued a show cause notice to Air India after their inspections revealed that the airline, yet again, did not facilitate the impacted passengers as per rules.

Rio de Janeiro/Rome, October 30th, 2023 – Today ITA Airways launched its nonstop service between Rio de Janeiro and Rome. The inaugural flight, AZ 673, connecting the two cities departed at 3.45 p.m. from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão airport and was operated with the Company’s Airbus A330neo, a benchmark in terms of technology, digitization, innovation, efficiency, design, and ultimate expression of Made in Italy. To celebrate the launch of the new intercontinental route connecting Brazil and Italy, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the departure gate in Rio de Janeiro, in the presence of Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer ITA Airways and CEO Volare, Pierfrancesco Carino, Vice President International Sales ITA Airways, Massimo Allegri, Regional Manager Americas ITA Airways, Andrea Taddei, Country Manager Brazil ITA Airways, Alexandre Monteiro, Chief Executive Officer Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport, Alessandro Cortese, Ambassador of Italy to Brazil, and Massimiliano Iacchini, Consul General of Italy in Rio de Janeiro. ITA Airways’ expansion on long-haul is one of the main pillars of the Company’s strategy, as it not only generates profitability but also increases short haul connections, helping to expand the capacity of the intercontinental network. “I am very happy to be here today to inaugurate our new nonstop flight from Rio De Janeiro to Rome. This is the third long haul destination we are opening in 2023, a year that marks ITA Airways’ greatest growth in the intercontinental market after the opening of Washington and San Francisco in the summer season. – said Emiliana Limosani Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO Volare – Our goal is to become the carrier of reference for the mobility of Italians. Our network’s development has a strong focus on those markets …

Air Astana, Kazakhstan national carrier, Kazakhstan Tourism Board & Kazin Dmc, join hands to launch a highly subsidised FAM trip to Almaty. The initiative is targeted towards agents from India who have not visited Kazakhstan in the past, providing them with tools to promote the destination to Indian clients. The fam trip is scheduled from 6-9 December 2023 and is priced at 29999/- per person, encompassing the award winning hospitality of Air Astana and the mesmerizing sights of Almaty.

The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group, which commenced operations to Hyderabad on 29 October 2003, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its services to the city this year. To mark this occasion, SIA is pleased to announce that starting 29 October 2023 and subject to regulatory approvals, it will increase its Hyderabad-Singapore services from seven-times weekly to 12-times weekly, as it takes over Scoot’s daily services between the cities. The new five-times weekly morning services will offer more connectivity options for passengers travelling from Hyderabad to and beyond Singapore. This service will be operated by SIA’s Boeing 737-8s, which are fitted with 154 seats – 10 in Business Class and 144 in Economy Class. The daily night services will be operated by SIA’s Airbus A350s, which are fitted with 303 seats – 40 in Business Class and 263 in Economy. As a result, Hyderabad will be entirely served by SIA’s full-service product. Sy Yen Chen, General Manager India for Singapore Airlines, said, “As we celebrate 20 years of serving the Hyderabad market, we are delighted to announce an increase in our weekly operations to the city. The strategic restructuring of our Hyderabad network is a testament to our commitment to continuously evolve and meet the changing needs of our valued customers. This milestone reaffirms our dedication to the local market, and we are excited to provide even greater connectivity and exceptional full-service travel experiences as we forge ahead into the future.” The increase in A350 operations on the Hyderabad-Singapore route also opens up a wider range of opportunities for SIA Cargo. The aircraft’s wider body will allow for uplift of large cargo consignments that need to be loaded on skids. Additionally, the …