Category Archives: Aviation

Malaysia Airlines has received seven stars – full marks – from Airline Ratings in an independent review of its COVID-19 health and safety measures. The rating is based on seven criteria— COVID-19 guidance on the airline’s website, social distancing during boarding, flight attendants’ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the compulsory wearing of face masks onboard, modifications to the meal service, passenger hygiene kits, and the deep cleaning of the aircraft. Malaysia Airlines was deemed to have excelled in all categories, resulting in it being awarded all seven stars.. Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Captain Izham Ismail said, “COVID-19 has presented a challenge unlike any the aviation industry has faced previously, and Malaysia Airlines has needed to adapt our services and protocols quickly to ensure that our passengers and staff are kept safe and comfortable. In July 2020 we introduced the “Fly Confidently” campaign, to educate passengers on the enhanced measures implemented across touchpoints at airports as well as on board. We are very proud that the range of measures we have put in place from check-in through to arrivals have been recognised by Airline Ratings and hope that this seven-star rating provides further reassurance to our customers that every flight with Malaysia Airlines will be safe and enjoyable for all onboard.”

Royal Jordanian Airline has appointed STIC Travel Group as its India GSA for passenger services. “Travel agents can contact any of the STIC offices across India. I hope that together we can contribute to growth of business,” says Subhash Goyal, Chairman, STIC Travel Group.

The Adani Group signed concession agreements with the Airports Authority of India, for the management, operations and development of Guwahati, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram airports. The agreements were exchanged between N.V. Subbarayudu, Executive Director, Strategic Initiative Unit, AAI & Behnad Zandi, CEO Adani Airport in the presence of AAI Chairman, Arvind Singh, AAI Board Members & senior officials and Adani Enterprises.

IndiGo has launched daily flights between Delhi-Leh, effective from today— 22nd February.  Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo said, “This will be our first destination amongst the seven regional stations we announced recently. We are working towards enhancing regional connectivity, which will not only increase access but also promote domestic trade and tourism in the country.”

Vistara has launched its daily services between Delhi and Sharjah, under the travel bubble agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and from 24th January the airline will also fly daily between Mumbai and Sharjah. Vistara will deploy its A320neo aircraft with a three-class cabin configuration and enhanced features on the Delhi-Sharjah flight. Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “These flights further strengthen our presence in the Middle East while offering travellers the choice of flying India’s best airline between India and the UAE.”

Qatar Airways has become the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. The announcement follows a detailed audit, carried out by the Skytrax team in December 2020, which assessed how effectively and consistently the airline’s stringent COVID-19 hygiene and safety standards and procedures are adhered to, from flight check-in to on-board aircraft. This included a full review of procedural efficiency checks, visual observation of hygiene and safety levels at all stages of the passenger journey, and on-board Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) sampling tests to measure the potential level of contamination of contact surfaces. The achievement of the Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating is in addition to Qatar Airways’ home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), recently being named as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating in December 2020. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “As an industry leader and the ‘World’s Best Airline’, as named by Skytrax, we are well-used to setting the standard for others to follow. We are delighted that our commitment to providing the most rigorous and comprehensive COVID-19 safety programme in existence within the global aviation community has been recognised with the Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating. “This achievement highlights the fastidious measures and procedures Qatar Airways have employed to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our passengers throughout the global pandemic to date, and follows HIA’s recent success as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating. “It also …

The International Air Transport Association and Etihad Airways have announced a partnership to launch the IATA Travel Pass for the airline’s guests. The IATA Travel Pass is a mobile app to help passengers manage their travel in line with government requirements for COVID-19 tests or vaccines. IATA Travel Pass will initially be offered to Etihad’s guests on selected flights from Abu Dhabi in Q1 of 2021.

According to global data provider OAG, most of the large domestic markets have stabilised at between 25-30% of last year’s levels. As per its Jan 2021 data, India’s domestic capacity is increasing from -30% down last month to -23% this month in terms of domestic market seats, making it the third-largest market after China and the US.

IndiGo has announced daily non-stop flights from Agra to Bengaluru, Bhopal an Lucknow respectively. The new flights will be effective from @8th March, 2021. The news was welcomed by the travel trade in Agra.

First flight to the newly constructed Hisar airport in Haryana from Chandigarh was flagged off today under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UdeDeshKaAamNagrik (RCS-UDAN)  The flight was flagged off by Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister, Haryana. The flagging off marks the operationalization of 54th airport under the UDAN scheme.