Category Archives: Aviation

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will increase services to points across Japan and restore its Indian network to pre-pandemic levels in the coming months. The airline will also add more flights to Los Angeles and Paris by December 2022, and continue with its direct services to Vancouver. This is in response to strong demand for air travel, and will offer customers more flexibility and options in the Northern Winter operating season (30 October 2022 to 25 March 2023). Together with other adjustments to the SIA and Scoot network, the SIA Group capacity is projected to be at around 81% of pre-pandemic levels by December 2022. JoAnn Tan, Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said: “Japan is a key market for the SIA Group, and we will work closely with our partners to meet the demand for air travel as entry requirements gradually ease. Robust demand for travel to and from India, to points across the Group network, support an increase in our services in this important market. “By stepping up services into the Northern Winter season, we give our customers even more flight options as they make their travel plans over the next few months. The SIA Group will closely monitor the demand for air travel and adjust its services accordingly.” The Airline will progressively operate 17 weekly services to Chennai, up from the current 10 flights per week. Kochi services will go up to 14 times weekly, up from the current seven flights per week. Bengaluru services will go up to 16 times weekly, up from the current seven flights per week. SIA will operate almost 100% of its pre-Covid operating capacity to India by 30 October 2022. From 30 …

Airports Authority of India (AAI) today signed an Operation & Management agreement for operationalization of five airports owned by the Government of Uttar Pradesh for a period of 30 years. These five airports are Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Muirpur & Shravasti. The agreement was signed by Shri N V Subbarayudu, ED (SIU) on behalf of AAI and Sri Kumar Harsh, Special Secretary, Civil Aviation Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh on behalf of the State Government in presence of Shri Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Government of Uttar Pradesh. The MoU was exchanged by Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman AAI and SP Goyal Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh. As per the agreement, AAI will operate and manage the airports and provide all necessary services. Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) services  will also  be provided by AAI, for which State Government will enter into a separate agreement. Further, Reserved Services will be provided by respective GoI for which GoUP shall enter separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), GoI. AAI will also be responsible for obtaining and maintaining of aerodrome license for these five airports. As per the agreement, Government of UP will complete the initial capital works for making airports ready for commercial operation and hand over all moveable and immovable assets along with relevant approvals, document to AAI for operation & management. Government of Uttar Pradesh will provide dedicated infrastructure for utilities like water, electricity and drainage connection etc. at the airport (to & within). This is the first time AAI is entering into an O&M Agreement with the State Government for Operationalization of State Government owned airports. AAI being the largest airport operator and sole air navigation service …

Ethiopian Airlines has started thrice weekly operations to/from Chennai from 2 July. Chennai has joined the vast Ethiopian network as a fourth destination in India after New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The flights to Chennai will be operated using B737-8 aircraft as per the below schedule.

Deoghar airport in Jharkhand is reported to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 12. The airport is ready to be operational as two flight run trials have been successful. When operational, the airport will be the second of international standards in Jharkhand after the Birsa Munda international airport in Ranchi and will provide air connectivity to Jharkhand, northern West Bengal, and south-eastern Bihar.

IndiGo and Turkish Airlines have resumed their codeshare flights and partnership by opening the sale earlier this month. Scheduled operations will be restarted in a phased manner with the first flight effective yesterday. The codeshare is considered as Bilateral Free Flow Codeshare wherein both the airlines will place its code on another’s flights. The agreement will enable both the carriers to provide more flexibility of choice to the customers on sectors between India and Istanbul, amongst others. In the 1st phase, both the airlines are open for sale, with Turkish Airlines as the marketing carrier, and IndiGo as the operating carrier. Turkish Airlines will be placing its code on trunk route flights operated by 6E on the Delhi-Istanbul route and later from six domestic destinations in India including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata. Mr. Ronojoy Dutta, Wholetime Director and Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “We are pleased to resume our strategic partnership with Turkish Airlines to offer more options to our passengers. Owing to the recovery of overall aviation industry, this agreement will extend our on-time, affordable, courteous, and hassle-free travel experience by expanding the choices available to our customers for journeys beyond Istanbul, using Turkish Airlines’ extensive network through a dozen destinations covered by our agreement.” Mr. Bilal Ekşi, Chief Executive Officer Turkish Airlines, said, “After witnessing two tough years of pandemic, airline industry is now in the new period which will enable us to recover and improve partnerships. In this new era, every cooperation has become more important for each airline.  We are very happy to see that as Turkish Airlines and IndiGo, we reactivated our codeshare cooperation by resumption of our flights between Turkiye and …

According to GlobalData’s latest forecasts, on a global scale, international departures will reach 68% of pre-COVID levels in 2022. This is expected to improve to 82% in 2023, and 97% in 2024, before fully recovering by 2025 at 101% of 2019 levels.

Airport Authority of India’s (AAI’s) Coimbatore Airport introduces AI-based robots to provide enhanced airport experiences to flyers. AAI believes that innovation plays a significant role in civil aviation sector & can change the way airports function and provide better facilities to air travellers.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that governments must work with the industry to ensure that aviation and incumbent safety systems can safely co-exist with the new 5G services. Many countries have successfully managed to facilitate the requirements of 5G service providers while including necessary mitigations to preserve aviation safety and uninterrupted services.

Vietjet has officially launched four more services linking top destinations of India and Vietnam including Mumbai – Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi routes and New Delhi/Mumbai – Phu Quoc services. The new routes’ launch ceremony was held in Mumbai during the visit of Ho Chi Minh City’s leaders to Mumbai as India and Vietnam mark their 50th Anniversary of diplomatic relations. The ceremony witnessed the presence of Phan Thi Thang, Vice Chairwoman of People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, representatives of Consulate General of Vietnam in Mumbai along with Vietjet’s leaders. On the side-lines of the event, the Vietjet spokesperson also said the carrier is planning more routes from India to Vietnam by launching services from cities such as Hyderabad, Ahmedabad etc. The Mumbai – Phu Quoc route will operate four weekly flights on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, starting September 9, 2022. The services between New Delhi and Phu Quoc will also commence on September 9, 2022 with three weekly flights on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi – Mumbai routes started operation in early June, 2022. The two countries’ two first direct services connecting New Delhi with Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi resumed operation earlier this year in April with the frequency of three to four flights per week for each route. Passengers can book these routes’ air tickets now with fares starting as low as US$18 for one way. (*) Nguyen Thanh Son, Vietjet’s Vice President said: “Vietjet’s Vietnam-India’s flight network expansion will boost and strengthen travel connectivity and trade ties between the two countries. We have been the first carrier operating direct services between Vietnam’s capital city Hanoi and its largest city of …

With the signing up of an almost century-old heritage Luxury resort, Leisure Hotels Group (LHG), an experiential luxury resort chain with a bouquet of 29 properties spanning North India, has announced its entry into ‘Queen of Hills’ Mussoorie, a nature lover’s delight with stunning views of the Himalayan mountain ranges, shining views of Doon Valley and magnificent views of Shivalik Mountain. The signing up also means that the group will now have 20 operational properties effectively consolidating the experiential resort chain’s position as the largest & most well preferred hospitality company in Uttarakhand. Vibhas Prasad, Director, Leisure Hotels Group said “Mussoorie as a city never loses its charm. It offers the right blend of experiences for all kind of visitors. This new property in Mussoorie is under our management contract. It is currently under restoration and is expected to open by early next year.” Once restored, the project will have 25 exquisite rooms, three restaurants, a bar and an open-air “Cafe on the Deck” with panoramic views of spectacular landscapes with valley vistas and snow-capped mountains. A conservatory is also being conceptualized as a part of an exquisite dining experience. An independent outdoor venue amidst nature is being planned for Yoga & Meditation enthusiasts with our in-house experts. The almost century-old heritage resort will offer a magnificent blend of old-world charm and modern amenities, and promises to provide guests with unforgettable experiences. Be it an official meeting, social gathering, or a wedding, the Resort will offer the perfect venue for  once in a lifetime experience. “Once a private residence of a well-known business family, this heritage resort will serve to a discerning clientele looking to relive the life of a …