Category Archives: Aviation

SpiceJet has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport to operate flights effective September 1, 2020. This is presently under the bubble arrangement between India and UK and effective end of summer schedule i.e. October 23, 2020. It is in discussion to secure slots for winter schedule for regular operations.

In a bid to comply with demands from travellers and travel agents regarding information on an airline’s health and safety measures, Travelport has launched the Airline Health & Safety Tracker. This free-of-charge tool is available to both Travelport customers and the wider industry. It highlights the safety measures being undertaken by more than 80 of the world’s largest airlines – all available immediately. Data is delivered to both online and offline travel agencies through the recently launched Travelport COVID API-COVID-19 Resource Hub, which is also available to the general public. The new tool provides detailed information on a range of topics, including lockdown rules, entry requirements and quarantine measures for travellers. Country-level information can be displayed at the click of a button, allowing agents to advise their customers easily and instantly. Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Operating Officer at InterGlobe Technology Quotient, says, “Gradual shifts towards safer journeys with refined safety measures is leading us to an evolving industry. To be able to track and match these safety measures with respective requirements shall lay genesis for a better travel booking experience, one that is frequently ensured by Travelport, lately with the Airline Health & Safety Tracker. This readily-accessible aid shall undoubtedly bring much respite from tedious manual searching and help travellers meet their respective requirements.

Air India, in a circular, has written to the travel agents against overcharging for the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) flights. The national carrier has recently opened the Vande Bharat Mission flight booking for travel agents and other OTAs. Now, they have warned travel agents against overcharging for VBM flights and said that if any agents found doing the same, they will lose their authority to sell Air India tickets. Air India has asked passengers to check fares on https://bit.ly/309voT7 and not overpay for Vande Bharat Mission flights.

The government has notified changes in FDI norms on civil aviation, which will permit non-resident Indian nationals to own 100% stake of Air India. The gazette notification states that foreign investments in Air India, including that of foreign airlines shall not exceed 49% either directly or indirectly except in case of NRIs, who are Indian Nationals, where it is permitted up to 100%.

Budget carrier SpiceJet will operate its first long-haul flight between Amsterdam and Bengaluru on August 1. The airline was given permission by the DGCA to operate flights to Europe and the US as a scheduled carrier last week. The flight will depart Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport at 2:45 pm on August 1 and reach Bengaluru in the early hours of August 2 before heading to Hyderabad.

According to CAPA India, four largest private airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are expected to see a revenue shortfall of Rs 5,700 to Rs 6,600 crores in FY2021 because of COVID-19. The final outcome will depend upon the eventual operating expenses.  

Ashwani Lohani, Former CMD Air India and Chairman of the Railway Board, has joined as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for GMR Group’s Services Business (which includes railways). Lohani had recently joined as the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Board. The latest move could be a good news for GMR, as it was looking at expanding its wings in the Railways sector by showing its interests in the private train project, station redevelopment plans and dedicated freight corridors (DFC).

In its webinar, ‘Reinventing the Airport Business Model in India’, CAPA India said that the current crisis must force a re-think and re-invention of the airport business model over the next five years. To increase aero and non-aero revenue, airports need to attract more non-stop, long-haul and wide-body services. Post-COVID, passengers may prefer non-stop flights instead of flights via a hub. CAPA India also talked about the need to reinvent the approach to route development, which should be more holistic and include forward bookings, travel search trends, consumer survey and travel trade research. 

In its report on air travel trends in South Asia and India, ForwardKeys reveals that for June 2020, Delhi-Patna was the most searched domestic India route for any future travel, replacing Delhi-Goa as the most searched in the same period last year.

Nepal is set to resume its international flight operations from August 17, after a four-month suspension due the global COVID-19 crisis. In fact, the country will also resume its domestic operations, and all flights will strictly follow the health and safety protocols that have already been developed.