Category Archives: Aviation

Leslie Thng, CEO, Vistara has said that his airline  is focussing on a leaner cost-structure as well as exploring newer avenues to supplement earnings. He also said that Vistara aims to have 70 planes by 2023. He further said that full service carriers look to be relevant more in the current scenario due to less density of seats in the cabins. Vistara currently has a fleet of 46 aircraft.

The tourism industry has lost another stalwart in Dr. Ankur Bhatia. He was the Executive Director at Bird Group. Bhatia passed away of a cardiac arrest. He was 48. A prolific and outstanding leader, Ankur Bhatia led the group’s strategic thrust to create multiple drivers of growth that made a significant and growing contribution to the company and industry at large. He also shaped and implemented blue ocean strategies that strengthened the overall brand proposition and accelerated a leap in core business value by exploring new growth avenues for building uncontested market leadership. Dr. Bhatia brought in the Amadeus brand to the Indian sub-continent in 1994.      

ANA Holdings has partnered with leading game studio JP Games to launch ANA Neo which is an interactive virtual platform that will bring the joy of travel and unique online shopping opportunities to audiences worldwide. Key to the platform is the ‘Sky Whale’ where users will be able to travel and access interactive activities and other environments within ANA Neo. The service is scheduled to launch in 2022, and it will be a welcome sight in an age when COVID-19 has accelerated digitization while curtailing travel opportunities. ANA Neo harnesses the latest breakthroughs to forge new bonds between people and cultures. “ANA Neo will open up the joy of travel to a much broader audience and provide users with an unrivaled experience,” said Mitsuo Tomita, president and CEO of ANA Neo. “Complete with realistic recreations of famous tourist sites and unprecedented shopping options, ANA Neo will help people explore the world from the comfort of a connected smart device. As the first global airline to launch this type of platform, we are excited to open up new possibilities and new experiences for people.” “Much like travel, virtual platforms are an excellent way to connect with people and experience new things,” said Hajime Tabata, chief producer of ANA NEO and Chief Executive Officer of JP GAMES. “ANA Neo is a bold new reimagining of a virtual platform, leveraging the latest breakthroughs to create an immersive digital world that captures the wonder of travel and lets families and friends tour them together.

AirlinePros international is pleased to announce a partnership with Dex Group, an established name in India’s Travel & Tourism industry, with over 50 years of experience in Indian Aviation. This is extremely complementary to our existing network and significantly expand our presence in key cities across India. As the aviation industry makes a slow restart, partnerships are key to ensure sustainable growth, to provide superior results in terms of increasing revenues and reducing costs for all our existing and potential clients. Achma Asokan, CEO commented “Our vision to be the most trusted and innovative network for servicing the aviation industry involves global partnerships as the DNA that runs through our raison d’etre. Our local partners bring to AirlinePros International the opportunity to connect innovative ideas, cultural diversity, expertise and professionalism to add unparalleled value to AirlinePros, our Global Partners and Clients. We have been exceptionally fortunate to have continued our global expansion throughout the pandemic, adding many new relationships. So, our global teams are prepared and ready for the “Aviation Restart and Resurgence Phase.” Our India operations are particularly special due to the huge untapped potential that exists and the immense strengths of our partner, DEX Group, having been pioneers in the industry in India.” Ramesh Marwah, Director Dex Group commented, “We are proud to partner with AirlinePros and are extremely happy to join strengths with one of the most professional & globally recognized aviation network group. As a long-established business with a pan India presence, the opportunity to work with a global organization is a perfect fit for us both. For Dex Group to partner with AirlinePros seemed like an opportune move as our two organizations share similar values …

German carrier Lufthansa has announced that it has lifted the ban on passenger flights to India, and will operate 10 weekly flights from Germany to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The Netherlands, too, has lifted the ban on passenger flights from India that had come into force on April 26 this year. The European Union’s (EU) list of ‘safe countries’, however, does not include India yet.

Johan Lundgren, the CEO of easyJet, does not believe the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus to be particularly damaging to Europe’s summer travel season for the year. While the UK continues to impose travel restrictions for most destinations that are said to have had cases of the Delta variant, some other European countries are also following suit. Lundgren has added that the industry’s survival could be at risk if it had to endure a second summer of restricted travel.

The government has further enlarged the scope of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ELGS) by including the aviation sector. The government also removed the loan outstanding ceiling of Rs 500 crore on sectors like hospitality, travel and tourism, leisure and sporting, and civil aviation, which means that even bigger entities with even higher outstanding loans in these sectors can avail of the ECLGS scheme.

The Bureau of Immigration is all set to install automated e-gates, which will scan passenger information without any human intervention, at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport starting July. The facility, called the Trusted Travellers Program (TTP), will reduce the clearance time by almost half. Initially, eight e-gates (four each in departure and arrival immigration areas) will be installed.

As per a recent order of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the minimum airfare on domestic routes will get costlier from tomorrow, June 1. The Ministry has raised the base airfare between 13-15% across all sectors basis approximate duration of flight. The upper limit for airfare continues to remain the same as per the earlier order.

Emirates has extended the temporary suspension of carriage of passengers from India till June 30. Furthermore, passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days are not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE. However, UAE nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with COVID-19 protocols will be exempt. Passenger carriage from Dubai to India will continue as per available flight schedule.