Category Archives: Aviation

ITA Airways launched its nonstop service between San Francisco and Rome. The inaugural flight, AZ 641 connecting two cities departed on July 1 at 3:15 p.m. from San Francisco International airport. Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways & CEO Volare, speaking on the launch of the new flight said that with the launch of this new destination, the second in California and the sixth in North America, we consolidate the Company’s expansion towards the U.S. market, which the first international market for ITA Airways. He said, “The new connection to San Francisco further enriches the intercontinental network of ITA Airways, which is one of the Company’s main assets”. The new San Francisco International Airport – Rome Fiumicino flight will operate from 1 July to 30 July 2023 with 3 weekly frequencies departing every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday at 3:15 p.m. and landing in Rome Fiumicino at 12:05 p.m. local time the day after. Return flights from Rome Fiumicino will be departing at 9:35 a.m. to land in San Francisco International Airport at 1:15 p.m., local time. In opening this new North American route, ITA Airways met the high demand and expectation of its customers, who immediately responded positively to the launch of a direct flight between San Francisco and Rome, determining a promising performance as of July, first month of operation

Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, accomplished the historic feat of transporting 50 million passengers in just eight years of operation. This accomplishment shows Vistara’s rapid expansion and the confidence that users have in the brand. Since its inception, Vistara has continuously strived to redefine air travel in India by delivering the highest standards of service, safety, comfort and reliability. Over the years, Vistara has attracted millions of customers over the years by providing a world-class product and the “new feeling of flying” while quickly growing its network and fleet. With a fleet of 61 aircraft, Vistara now connects 32 airports in India with 15 foreign locations via approximately 280 flights every day. Celebrating the milestone, Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara said, “We are filled with gratitude and delight as we celebrate this remarkable feat of serving over 50 million customers. This milestone stands as a testament to the trust and confidence reposed in us by millions of customers. In a short span of time, we have also emerged as the ‘16th Best Airline’ globally, and this extraordinary success is credited to the passion and dedication of our employees reflecting in every aspect of their work, regardless of the challenges they faced. We would like to thank our valued customers for their continued support and patronage over the years which has played a vital role in establishing us as a world-class airline. As we continue our journey, we are resolute in our commitment to deliver exceptional service and memorable experience to our customers.” Vistara has launched a special campaign – #50MillionFeelings, that aims to capture the fond memories, emotions, …

Global international scheduled seat capacity on offer for the week to 19-Jun-2023 reached 59.9 million seats. Capacity reached a new pandemic era high (97.6% of 2019 volumes).

SpiceJet recently signed an interline deal with Hahn Air. Since 2016, SpiceJet has already been available under Hahn Air’s H1 code in all major Global Distribution Systems . Due to the new interline agreement, the airline will be additionally available under their own SG code in the Amadeus GDS. Travel agents around the world can issue SpiceJet flights on the insolvency-safe HR-169 ticket by choosing Hahn Air as the validating carrier. In addition, travel agents using the Amadeus GDS can combine SpiceJet’s flights with other Hahn Air partners’ flights on one single ticket. SpiceJet is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana. The airline serves various destinations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In 2022, SpiceJet earned several accolades, including Safety Performer of the Year by DIAL and Wings India Aviation Innovation Award 2022. Most recently, SpiceJet received the Bronze Stevie® Award for Customer Service Department of the Year. SpiceJet’s fleet comprises of 27 Boeing and eight DHC Q400 aircraft. Kimberley Long, Vice President Agency Distribution at Hahn Air said, “We are proud to increase our partnership with SpiceJet”. “By providing a wealth of destinations and excellent service, this award-winning airline is very popular with travellers. We are pleased to now offer the travel agency community several options for easy access to this airline. even in markets where SpiceJet does not grant ticketing authority for SG or where the airline is not a member of the local BSP or ARC.” Shilpa Bhatia, Chief Commercial Officer, SpiceJet, said, “We are glad to partner with Hahn Air for distribution of our flights to over 190 markets that will help international passengers to seamlessly travel across various parts of India with ease and beyond. The interline agreement with Hahn Air and the strong distribution network of …

With over 5,000 global businesses signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and committed to taking various steps regarding climate action, for many, environmental impact is a critical consideration – alongside the traditional financial priorities – when making travel decisions. To empower clients, FCM Consulting has joined forces with CAPA – Centre for Aviation (CAPA), one of the most trusted sources of market intelligence for the aviation and travel industry and their partner, Envest Global, to unveil a new, first in class approach for clients to help them address their environmental aims when planning business travel. Launching today, FCM’s team of sustainability experts have devised an industry-first service that pairs their methodology alongside insights from the CAPA-Envest Airline Sustainability Benchmarking Report which goes beyond the typical single CO2e metric typically used for sustainability calculations. FCM is the only Global Travel Management Company to currently have access to this valuable data which provides comparable ranking of airlines incorporating over 10 ‘sustainability parameters’ and is regarded by CAPA as the industry’s single source of truth on emissions, benchmarking airlines and their performance as they transition to net zero operations. As companies become more astute on all things-sustainability related, FCM understands that the industry must keep pace. According to Glenn Thorsen, Sustainability Lead – FCM Consulting, he believes TMCs must be able to provide deeper and more accurate analysis on travel impact with measurable benefits. “As sustainability has risen to the top of the agenda, we make it our business to be a step ahead in the evolution of emissions measurement and reporting so that we can help our clients get the best out of their programmes and achieve their goals,” …

Akasa Air has announced an order for four additional Boeing 737-8 jets at the ongoing Paris Air Show, a follow-up to the already placed order of 72 aircraft taking it to a total of 76 aircraft which include 23 737-8s and 53 high-capacity 737-8-200 aircraft. The airline is also on course to announce another significant three-digit aircraft order by the end of 2023. As Akasa Air targets to commence international operations by the end of 2023, the additional order of four 737-8s will fortify the airline’s plans to strengthen its expansion strategy. Since launching operations in August 2022, Akasa Air is the fastest-growing airline in the country with a fleet of 19 aircraft which has carried over 3 million revenue passengers and crossed the milestone of operating over 900 weekly flights with a published network of 36 unique routes connecting 16 cities. Elaborating on the order, Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air said, “Akasa Air set a benchmark in the 120-year history of global aviation by becoming the first airline to reach a fleet size of 19 aircraft in less than a year of operations. While we are extremely happy with this achievement, we want to keep ourselves focused on our commitment to contribute to the air transportation ecosystem and support the nation’s economic growth engine. We are excited to add four more Boeing 737-8 to support our international expansion, taking our initial order of 72 aircraft to 76 to be delivered in the next four years. In addition to supporting our rapid domestic expansion, these airplanes allow us to take full advantage of the category leading 737-8 aircraft with its unparalleled range, as we prepare our foray into …

Air India, a Tata Group-owned global airline, today signed purchase agreements to acquire 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, going one step further in its $70 billion (based on list prices) fleet expansion program that it announced in February this year. The purchase agreements were signed on the sidelines of the ongoing Paris Air Show. Air India’s firm orders include 34 A350-1000, six A350-900, 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 10 Boeing 777X widebody aircraft, as well as 140 Airbus A320neo, 70 Airbus A321neo and 190 Boeing 737MAX narrowbody aircraft. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, said: “This landmark step further positions Air India for long-term growth and success that, we have every hope, will come together to represent the best of modern aviation to the world.” Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India, said: “Our ambitious fleet renewal and expansion programme will see Air India operate the most advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft across our route network within five years. We are proud to be working with all our partners in this journey to rebuild a global airline which reflects India taking a more confident posture around the world.”

Akasa Air, India’s newest airline, today declare an order for four additional Boeing 737-8 jets at the ongoing Paris Air Show, a follow-up to the already placed order of 72 aircraft taking it to a total of 76 aircraft which include 23 737-8s and 53 high-capacity 737-8-200 aircraft. The airline is also on course to announce another significant three-digit aircraft order by the end of 2023. As Akasa Air targets to commence international operations by the end of 2023, the additional order of four 737-8s will fortify the airline’s plans to strengthen its expansion strategy. Since launching operations in August 2022, Akasa Air is fastest-growing airline in the country with a fleet of 19 aircraft which has carried over 3 million revenue passengers and crossed the milestone of operating over 900 weekly flights with a published network of 36 unique routes connecting 16 cities. Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air said, “Akasa Air set a benchmark in the 120-year history of global aviation by becoming the first airline to reach a fleet size of 19 aircraft in less than a year of operations. While we are extremely happy with this achievement, we want to keep ourselves focused on our commitment to contribute to the air transportation ecosystem and support the nation’s economic growth engine. We are excited to add four more Boeing 737-8 to support our international expansion, taking our initial order of 72 aircraft to 76 to be delivered in the next four years. In addition to supporting our rapid domestic expansion, these airplanes allow us to take full advantage of the category leading 737-8 aircraft with its unparalleled range, as we prepare our foray into international routes”. …

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, ” I believe this is a historic day. IndiGo has placed an order for 500 aircraft, this is more than 25 per cent than our fleet in 2013-14. This shows that there is immense potential in Civil Aviation sector of India”.

IndiGo, India’s most preferred airline, is further defining its long-term future, well into the next decade, by placing a firm order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. This will provide IndiGo a further steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035. This 500 aircraft order is not only IndiGo’s largest order, but also the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with Airbus. The engine selection for this order will be done in due course and so will be the exact mix of A320 and A321 aircraft. Today IndiGo operates over 300 aircraft and has previous orders totaling 480 aircraft which are yet to be delivered between today and the end of this decade. With this additional firm order of 500 aircraft for 2030-2035, IndiGo’s order-book has almost 1.000 aircraft yet to be delivered well into the next decade. This IndiGo order-book comprises a mix of A320NEO, A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft. The evaluation of the offers was shared and discussed with IndiGo’s Board, and consequently endorsed. This new order will bring the strategic relationship between IndiGo and Airbus to an unprecedented depth and breadth. With this new order, since its inception in 2006, IndiGo has ordered a massive total of 1.330 aircraft with Airbus. The fuel-efficient A320NEO Family aircraft will allow IndiGo to maintain its strong focus on lowering operating costs and delivering fuel efficiency with high standards of reliability. The young and fuel- efficient fleet will help IndiGo realize its sustainability ambitions, building on the already realized CO2 reduction of 21% between FY16 and FY23. This year IndiGo expects to welcome 100 million customers on board and as such literally giving wings to the nation. IndiGo is amongst the …