Category Archives: Aviation

Doing its bit to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Vistara today announced temporary fleet-wide removal of all reading material from seatback pockets, including the Vistara in-flight magazine, newspapers and other magazines of passengers’ interest. The step has been taken to prevent the spread of the virus.   Vistara is also proactively cleaning all aircraft in its fleet at the turnaround of every single flight. Disinfectant cleaners approved by aircraft manufacturers are being used for the purpose. This means all cabins of all of Vistara’s aircraft, including seats, tray tables, latches, galley, seatbelt buckles, all lavatories and flight deck etc. are being disinfected after every flight. Additionally, Vistara is carrying out thorough deep cleaning of all aircraft every 24 hours using approved higher concentration of disinfectant cleaner, Callington 2200 (CH2200). The airline’s teams wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as hand gloves and face masks, as required, to perform the cleaning procedures.   OTHER PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES:   Vistara is continuously monitoring flights across its network for risks. If a suspected case (passengers exhibiting any symptoms of Covid-19) comes to the airline’s attention, either voluntarily or reported/observed by the crew, the airline’s operations and maintenance control centers are immediately informed for necessary action. The subsequent action includes immediate sanitization of the affected row including three rows ahead and behind, lavatory, sidewalls, tray tables, overhead compartments and carpets by approved disinfectant cleaners. If any confirmed cases are reported, Vistara will immediately carry out complete sanitization of the entire aircraft. Vistara’s cabin crew practice a high level of personal hygiene and wear disposable gloves during processes such as clearance of trays. Vistara’s fleet is equipped with the HEPA (High Efficiency-Particulate Arrestors) air recirculation filters that …

Aeroflot has adjusted its schedule of flights from Moscow. Aeroflot will continue to operate flights from Moscow to the following destinations in Europe: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Dublin, Geneva, London, Madrid, Paris and Rome. Following the decision by Russian authorities to halt flights between Moscow and Dubai, from 23 March one flight will operate daily on this route. From 29 March, Aeroflot will continue to operate flights to the US only between Moscow and New York. Aeroflot is working hard to help Russian citizens return home. We ask all passengers holding tickets for cancelled flights to regularly check the email associated with the booking, or check the booking on the Aeroflot website, or contact the airline directly to make changes. Passengers (Russian citizens) holding tickets for later dates on routes where service is being suspended are requested to contact the airline as soon as possible to rebook their flight on the earliest operated regular or charter flight. Aeroflot has temporarily suspended flights between Moscow and the following cities: — Aktau (23 March to 23 April) — Aktobe (23 March to 23 April) — Almaty (23 March to 23 April) — Athens (24 March to 18 April) — Atyrau (24 March to 23 April) — Baku (29 March to 30 April) — Barcelona (21 March to 23 April) — Beirut (18 March to 29 March) — Belgrade (21 March to 23 April) — Budapest (23 March to 30 April) — Bukhara (16 March to 15 April) — Cairo (19 March to 31 March) — Chisinau (16 March to 31 March) — Copenhagen (21 March to 23 April) — Delhi (22 March to 28 March) — Frankfurt (19 March to 23 April) — Helsinki (24 March to 2 April) — Karagandy (19 March to 23 April) — Kostanay (21 March to 22 April) …

Etihad Airways will temporarily suspend all flights to, from, and via Abu Dhabi following a decision by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), to suspend all inbound, outbound, and transit passenger flights in the UAE. This decision has been made to limit the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus and to protect citizens, residents, and international travellers. The suspension of flights to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport will commence at 23:59 (UAE local time) on Wednesday 25 March, and will last for an initial 14 days, subject to further directives by the relevant authorities. Cargo and emergency evacuation flights are exempt and will continue. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “These are unprecedented times and unprecedented decisions are being made by governments, authorities and companies, including Etihad, to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to help minimise its effects around the world. “We stand with our loyal customers, who are having to endure disruption and inconvenience to their travel and their daily lives, and we dedicate all our efforts and resources to ensuring we do all we can to assist them with their travel planning during this challenging period. “As the national airline, we stand in full support of the UAE government’s decision, and are confident that we’re well prepared to weather the commercial and operational impact this suspension will have on our services.” Guests will be notified if their flight is cancelled. However, prior to proceeding to the airport, all guests should still check the status of their flights, using the Etihad Airways Flight Tracker at: https://www.etihad.com/en/manage/flight-tracker Etihad Airways continues to follow UAE and international …

Singapore Airlines will be cutting 96% of the capacity that had been originally scheduled up to end-April, given the further tightening of border controls around the world over the last week to stem the Covid-19 outbreak. This will result in the grounding of around 138 SIA and SilkAir aircraft, out of a total fleet of 147, amid the greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence. The Group’s low-cost unit Scoot will also suspend most of its network, resulting in the grounding of 47 of its fleet of 49 aircraft. The SIA Group diversified its network and set up Scoot to spread its risks and cater to a wide range of passenger and market segments. However, without a domestic segment, the Group’s airlines become more vulnerable when international markets increasingly restrict the free movement of people or ban air travel altogether. It is unclear when the SIA Group can begin to resume normal services, given the uncertainty as to when the stringent border controls will be lifted. The resultant collapse in the demand for air travel has led to a significant decline in SIA’s passenger revenues. The Company is actively taking steps to build up its liquidity, and to reduce capital expenditure and operating costs. As mentioned on 17 March 2020, SIA will continue to aggressively pursue all measures to address the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the Company. These include: • ongoing discussions with aircraft manufacturers to defer upcoming aircraft deliveries. If agreed, this will consequently defer payment for those aircraft deliveries; • salary cuts for the SIA Group’s management with the Company’s Directors also agreeing to a cut in their fees, and a voluntary …

As initiated and facilitated by the Government of Srilanka, SriLankan Airlines, brought back 829 Sri Lankans who were stranded in India. They have been arriving in the country, as Sri Lanka was going into 48-hour quarantine curfew, since Friday , March 20,to Sunday 22nd 2020. The Airline wishes to state that these passengers had travelled to India on other airlines and were stranded there as the carriers concerned stopped operations to Colombo due to travel restrictions. The National Carrier took every measure to bring them home swiftly and safely, given that these passengers mainly consisted of senior citizens, an age group that has been advised to take extra precautions to be safe from the virus. Ever since the global outbreak, SriLankan Airlines has been playing a pivotal role in facilitating passage home to many Sri Lankans, which includes the mercy flight that was operated to Wuhan. The Airlines’ operational areas have been fully functional despite the government declared holidays and ‘work-from-home’ , and the staff members have been attending to their work dedicatedly and diligently, understanding fully the role that they are expected to play during these difficult times. SriLankan Airlines, going above and beyond the call of duty and not aiming at any commercial fulfillment despite the irretrievable impact this has made on business, has continued to step in and fulfil what is expected of the National Carrier, thus playing its part of staying united as a country in this crucial hour. Our Global Contact Center(0197331979), including Airport ticket office offering 24×7 service to our valuable customers for their ticket related services.

KLM’s contact centers have been overloaded by the corona crisis. Currently, the airline receives ten times more messages via social channels and receives four times more calls per day than usual. The expectation is that the number of questions will only increase due to future cancellations. The developments cause great uncertainty for customers. KLM wants her contact centers to be easily accessible again so that employees can make maximum efforts to assist passengers. In order to further aid this, KLM has created a video to assist customers, informing them about all the important links concerning their bookings. In addition to that KLM’s social media team is working day and night to support their passengers and solve all their queries. updates.klm.com provides the latest information on the commercial measures, FAQs and rebook policy. KLM trusts her clients to understand this exceptional situation and measure.  

In a recent release, Virgin Atlantic has said, “We continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation very carefully, including the latest guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as well as any new entry or quarantine restrictions implemented by the countries we fly to.   “The Indian Authorities have advised that from 12:00 GMT on 18th March 2020 they will deny entry to any customers, regardless of nationality, travelling from the United Kingdom, the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and Turkey. This is a temporary measure that the authorities will review on 31st March.  Our last scheduled services will be from Delhi to London Heathrow (VS301) on Saturday 21st March and from Mumbai to London Heathrow (VS355) on Sunday 22nd March.  We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and any customers booked to travel should call our local contact centre team at 1800 102 3000 or 0124 469 3030, email India.Reservations@fly.virgin.com, alternatively contact our UK contact centre on +44 344 874 7747 or +44 344 209 7777 for rebooking options. Customers who have booked through a travel agent, we request them to contact their agent. ”  

CAPA India’s preliminary estimates for the near-term impact on the Indian industry states that as a result of the significant reduction in flying, Indian carriers may initially ground around 150 aircraft (including almost all of the international fleet), with this number expected to increase as more domestic operations are curtailed over the coming weeks. Based on the latest cancellations, international capacity is currently estimated to be down by 60-70 per cent year-on-year, although the situation is evolving on a daily basis. India has banned entry by all foreign nationals (with some very limited exceptions) until at least April 15, 2020. Foreigners account for around 25 per cent of international air travellers to/from India. However, India has also blocked the entry of its own nationals from the European Union and several other countries, and has advised its citizens not to travel overseas. If the decline in traffic continues to be severe, the majority of the fleet could be grounded by April.

Major world airlines axed almost all flights on a temporary basis as the worsening coronavirus crisis sparks travel bans, ravages demand and sends shares into freefall, triggering pleas to help carriers survive. IAG, owner of British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia, announced it would slash flight capacity by 75 per cent during April and May owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. Britain’s Virgin Atlantic added that it has decided to park 75 per cent of its total fleet — and in April this will rise as high as 85 per cent. Virgin has reportedly called upon the UK government to inject emergency support totalling 7.5 billion pounds (USD 9.2 billion) to help keep Britain’s aviation industry flying. In Germany, Lufthansa has been forced to scrap around two thirds of its flights in coming weeks as several countries including the United States ban travellers from Europe. “Last week saw a rapid acceleration of the impact of COVID-19 on global aviation and tourism,” Virgin Atlantic warned in a statement. “The situation is deteriorating at pace and the airline has seen several days of negative bookings, driven by a huge volume of cancellations as customers choose to stay at home.” British no-frills carrier EasyJet warned it may have to ground “the majority” of its fleet, urging governments across Europe to help their airlines maintain access to liquidity.

Under the UDAN scheme of Government of India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) flagged off the first-ever thrice-weekly flight from Indore (Madhya Pradesh) to Kishangarh (Ajmer, Rajasthan). In its constant endeavor to connect the unconnected regions, Ministry of Civil Aviation awarded the Indore-Kishangarh route during the UDAN 3 bidding process to Star Air. With the commencement of this route, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has operationalised 268 routes under the UDAN scheme. Under RCS-UDAN, Star Air is already operating direct flights from Belagavi to Indore and will now extend the same route till Rajasthan, “The land of Colours”. The approximate distance between Indore and Kishangarh is around 550 kilometers and people had to spend more than 10 hours to reach Kishangarh from Indore by road. However, with the commencement of flight operations on this route, people can take one-hour flight and travel at ease and visit the famous Nine Planets temple, Ajmer Sharif Dargah, Pushkar Lake, Phool Mahal Palace, Roopangarh Fort, etc. Furthermore, Kishangarh is also known as the Marble City of India and is a big market of red chilies.