Category Archives: Aviation

Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have signed an MoU to expand their interline agreement and provide travellers additional itinerary options when visiting the UAE. This first of its kind agreement between the two UAE carriers aims to capitalise on opportunities to boost tourism to the UAE from key source markets by enabling visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary. This summer, customers of each airline will be able to purchase a single ticket to fly into either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, with a seamless return via the other airport. The new agreement also provides travellers planning to explore the UAE with the flexibility of one-stop ticketing for their full journey and convenient baggage check-in.

In a statement issued by Goa First airline, it has said that in order to recover losses, it has sought compensation of approximately INR 8,000 crores in the SIAC arbitration. If it is successful in the arbitration, it is hoped that, the airline will be able to address the liabilities of its creditors. The statement adds that, however at this stage, in the absence of Pratt & Whitney not providing the required number of spare leased engines in accordance with the order issued by the emergency arbitrator, the airline is no longer in a position to continue to meet its financial obligations.

Building on its robust presence in India, Lufthansa today announced the introduction of two new routes – Munich to Bangalore and Frankfurt to Hyderabad.  The new flights on the Munich-Bangalore route will be operational three times a week, with the first flight scheduled on November 3, 2023. The flights from Frankfurt-Hyderabad will commence operations in the coming winter and combined these flights represent the first new routes in Asia Pacific for the Group. This expansion underlines Lufthansa’s long-term vision to strengthen its footprint in the Indian market by catering to the growing population of young working professionals. The brand intends to make the best of India’s untapped growth opportunity – especially in the post-COVID era – by providing consumers with the most premium travel experiences during their international trips, be it for business or leisure. With more than 50 weekly services to India, the Lufthansa Group tradition in India dates back nearly a century, and these new routes will strength its position as the leading European airline group on the subcontinent.

CAPA India has said that the aviation policy should plan for airport capacity that will last for a generation and beyond, and which is developed ahead of demand. “Delhi and Mumbai need to start planning for 3rd airports, for which land acquisition should commence immediately,” it was stated at its 35th Research Briefing.

Passenger Load Factor (PLF) for leading airlines like Interglobe Aviation, Spicejet, Air India, and GoFirst has dipped. DGCA revealed Air India’s market share for March dipped from 8.9% to 8.8%; while Spicejet’s went from 7.1% to 6.4%. Vistara saw a jump from 8.7% to 8.9% and Indigo’s went from 55.9% to 56.8%.

Global airline capacity will be lower than expected this year and stay constrained until 2025 at the earliest, warned IATA director general Willie Walsh, due to delays in new aircraft deliveries and a lack of availability of spare parts. “I can’t see anything really improving or significantly improving probably until 2025 at the earliest and it may even go beyond that,” Walsh said.

Vinod Kannan, CEO, Vistara, has said that “While ideal fleet size depends on context and goals, Vistara aims to increase its international capacity from 25 per cent to 40 per cent and reach a fleet size of 70 in the next year.”

Amit Ray, Director India, DACH markets & Italy and Head of Global Corporate and Strategic Sales at LOT Polish Airlines, has said that LOT Polish Airlines and India are a good fit. “Our engagement in India has been fruitful and we strongly believed in the Indian market from the beginning,” he said.

Air India starts flight from London Gatwick Airport. This will see 12 flights departing every week to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Kochi and Goa. Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, said, “We are pleased to be launching services from London Gatwick, enabling our passengers to have even more choice on how they enter India.”

Airindiaexpress.Com, the unified customer interface of Air India Express and AirAsia India – the two subsidiary airlines of Air India, has witnessed a surge of visitors within days of launch with the platform, contributing over 25% of international flight revenue on the first day itself, making it the dominant single source of reservations.