Category Archives: Aviation

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Shivani Singh Deo as Country Manager – India. Shivani has represented Virgin Atlantic for the past 8 years in the role of Marketing and Communications Manager. Prior to Virgin Atlantic, Shivani’s career included international market exposure across industries including retail, media, and lifestyle. Shivani has grown Virgin Atlantic’s brand presence in India considerably and has led high profile launches such as Mumbai, our second daily Delhi service and our IndiGo codeshare partnership, generating significant PR and media exposure. Shivani’s promotion recognises her strong performance in this role and demonstrates our desire to recognise talent from within the team. Shivani will lead our commercial strategy in India at an exciting time, as we grow our India network further in 2024 with the launch of a daily London Heathrow to Bengaluru service from 31st March 2024. Commenting on her appointment, Shivani said, “I am excited to be taking on this new role at Virgin Atlantic and lead the dynamic team in India. We will continue to champion the needs of the customer and tap the incredible growth opportunities in the Indian market.”

Sumeet Gosain, Vice President, Head -International Sales at TATA Air India said, “Unfortunately, both the Boeing and Airbus both are struggling with the deliveries of the aircraft. Having said that, we will get our first A350 before the end of the year. The more aircraft which will be coming in we will be expanding, and we are already looking at newer destinations. So, depending on the delivery of these aircraft we will build it up from there.”

Aeroflot to resume direct regular flights to Indian state Goa from Moscow and Ekaterinburg. The services will be operated to international airport Dabolim (IATA: GOI). Tickets are available.  In line with bilateral agreement between India and Russia from September 30 three weekly flights from Sheremetyevo airport will be operated on wide-body Airbus A330 on Tuesdays, Fridays and   Saturdays. From October 3 three weekly flights from Ekaterinburg will be operated on Boeing 737- 800 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.   In addition to Goa, Aeroflot operates direct flights from Moscow to Delhi all year round. Traditionally the south of India is a favorite place for beach holidays of Russians in fall and winter. The flights are expected to be in high demand. Tourists will be able to get to the Indian Ocean coast in comfort and without transfers. The up-to-date schedule is available on Aeroflot’s website. “Goa flights to Moscow will boast tourism from Russia as well as India, as Russia has simplified the process for visa issuance for Indians, now Indians can apply for Russian visas online, except this cargo sector from western India will be in demand as trade between countries is increasing from last few months” said Dr. Naveen Rao Director of Delmos Aviation Pvt. Ltd.   

The Oman government has resumed operations of Oman Air between Lucknow and Muscat by replacing its low-cost airline, Salam Air, that had been operating since the pandemic between the two cities. It flies Boeing 737 aircraft with capacity of 162 pax non-stop between Lucknow and Muscat and will also have business class seats.

LOT Polish Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, is focusing on growth and has now presented the cornerstones of the company’s strategy until 2028. The most significant innovations include the fleet enhancement, the enlargement of the route network and a major cabin upgrade of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner long-haul fleet. In the short term, the airline offers additional options to the United States due to a new codeshare agreement with Jetblue Airways, effective end of October 2023. Until 2028, Poland’s national carrier is planning to increase its fleet size by around 50 percent (110 in 2028 vs. 75 currently). Along with that, the number of passengers is set to grow by around 70 percent (16.9 million in 2028 vs. 10.3 million estimated for 2023). The LOT Polish Airlines scheduled flight network will see nearly 20 new destinations, both medium and long-haul. In addition, there will be investments at airports for an enhanced passenger experience: the LOT Polonez Business Lounge at the airline’s global hub in Warsaw will be remodelled and refreshed, and a new LOT Polish Airlines lounge will be opened at Terminal 5 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Major investments into the Dreamliner fleet: new seats and enhanced entertainment options On long-haul flights, LOT Polish Airlines exclusively deploys Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircrafts. The airline will completely retrofit those in all cabins. The colours of the future interiors are inspired by Polish landscapes. The new design as a whole is intended to feature modernity while reflecting Polish hospitality and appreciating the company’s almost 95 years of history. There will be new seats in LOT Business Class, LOT Premium Economy Class and LOT Economy Class aboard the Dreamliner fleet, all from …

Adedayo Olawuyi, CCO, Uganda Airlines, announced that the airline is all set to revive the Mumbai-Entebbe route from october 7, 2023 after 40 years. This route was earlier serviced by Air India. Uganda Airlines will start a three weekly direct flight between the two cities targeting VFR traffic, business travellers and medical tourists, but also mice and leisure tourists.

Vinod Kannan, CEO of Vistara, announced, “The airlines has launched several new routes from Mumbai, especially connecting to Middle East, aiming to align with the airline’s strategy to position Mumbai as vital hub for international travel”.     

The domestic aviation industry has experienced a surge in passenger traffic during the first eight months of 2023. MoCA data reveals that the number of pax carried by domestic airlines reached 1190.62 lakhs from January to August 2023, marking huge growth of 38.27% compared to the same period last year. 

As travelers take to the skies once again, digital travel platform Agoda offers the most popular domestic and international flight destinations so far in 2023.  In India, the most popular international destination is Dubai, followed by Bangkok, Bali, Singapore and Hanoi. The ranking shows a clear preference for Southeast Asia, with four of the destinations falling in that category. Domestically, Indians are taking off for New Delhi and NCR, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune, rounding out the top five. Based on Agoda’s booking data, four of the five most popular international flight destinations are nestled in Southeast Asia, with Bangkok in first place. Singapore in second, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City in fourth, and Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur in fifth also represent Southeast Asia. Seoul, South Korea splits the top five, coming in as third most popular international flight destination. “Many factors contribute to the popularity of Southeast Asian cities”, said Andrew Smith, Senior Vice President of Supply, Agoda. “These cities represent five bustling metropolises, with rich culture and history, an exquisite culinary scene, and unique nightlife. Even with airlines expanding their routes and fleets, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll see these amazing destinations ranking high for years to come.” Agoda has built a global reputation as an online platform for booking hotels and holiday homes, but has seen an increase in flight bookings since the platform launched in 2019. Currently, more than 1,30,000 flight routes can be booked on Agoda.  

Datuk Musa, DDG of Promotion for Malaysia said, “Incentives are offered to travel agents to organize charter flights from India to Malaysia, targeting MICE segments. With an aim to attract more tourists, not only via commercial flights but also specially arranged charters.”