Category: Aviation

‘Contactless’ would be the buzzword at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, when operations resume from May 25.  In an effort to protect passengers and staff from the risk of COVID-19 transmission, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has introduced a parking-to-boarding contactless journey at the airport.  With greater emphasis on minimum touch and minimum exposure between passengers and airport personnel, BIAL aims to minimise all physical contact at the airport. The technology will continue to enable a seamless airport journey, with greater emphasis on health and safety.  “We have introduced innovative contactless procedures to minimise exposure at the airport. These enhancements ... Read more

Air India has informed flyers that bookings for domestic flights will start from today. Tweeting about the same, the national carrier said, “Our domestic flight bookings will start from 1230 hrs today. To book login to Air India website or contact authorised travel agents or visit our booking offices or call customer care.” After a two-month gap, India will reopen air travel from May 25. The government has allowed one-third of the operations beginning Monday and set limits on fares which will be applicable for three months. GoAir, Vistara, IndiGo and others have not opened bookings yet. “As per the ... Read more

China has acquired a stake in budget airline Norwegian Air after the cash-strapped carrier underwent a major restructuring, according to a notification to the Oslo Stock Exchange. BOC Aviation, owned by the Chinese government via subsidiaries including Bank of China and China Investment Corporation, has emerged as one of the new owners of the Norwegian low-cost airline. “Upon completion of the conversion [of lease obligations], BOC Aviation will hold 389,053,742 shares in NAS [Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA], representing 12.67% of the outstanding shares and votes in the Company,” read the notification. AerCap, a top aircraft leasing company headquartered in Ireland, ... Read more

No meals, no eatables, no magazines, no on-board sales, Aarogya Setu not required for kids below 14, limited baggage, minimal use of lavatory, less contact by security staff and using masks throughout the journey. That’s new age flying for you. India has issued detailed guidelines for airlines, airport, passengers and other stakeholders, for resumption of domestic flights after a gap of two months. The domestic flights will operate again from May 25, as lockdown restrictions continue to get eased. Here are the new norms: Before arriving at airport Familiarise yourself with the new procedures, especially about norms of social distancing, minimum ... Read more

IndiGo will join the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indians stranded overseas. This will be the first instance of a private airline joining an exercise that was a monopoly of Air India till date. In a statement on Thursday, the country’s largest airline said that it has been authorised to operate 97 reparation flights between Kerala and the Middle East. Adhering all the precautionary measures, the flights will be operated between Kerala and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Doha, Kuwait and Muscat. IndiGo has been granted nearly half of the total 180 repatriation flights allotted to private airlines. “We had ... Read more

Delta Air Lines plans to boost the number of flights it will restore to service in June and July, to allow for spacing among passengers as demand increases. “Once we get close to 60% on an individual route, that’ll be the trigger for us to add more planes into the system,” Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said Wednesday on Fox Business News. The carrier will add 200 flights in June and may add as many as 300 in July, he said. Just two days earlier, the US airline had said it planned to add 100 flights next month. The airline’s ... Read more

Qatar Airways has introduced new flight protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its crew will now be equipped with full-body gear. “Cabin crew will wear disposable, full body protective gear during flights while passengers must wear face coverings,” the airline stated in a press release. Other changes include serving meals on a tray in lieu of a table set up in business class, individually wrapped cutlery, sealed meals (standard protocol in economy already), and large bottles of hand sanitizer which will be placed in the galleys. To comply with social distancing requirements, there are no more “social areas” on ... Read more

US carriers JetBlue Airways and United Airlines have announced fresh safety measures aimed at restoring confidence in travel, as several executives pointed to signs of domestic demand improving. A Reuters report said that American states are starting to reopen and airlines expect an increase in domestic travel over the extended holiday weekend for Memorial Day on May 25. While data shows only a small fraction of recent flights were more than 70% full, there may soon be full or near-full planes, said Airlines for America, a trade group representing major U.S. airlines. The group launched a public awareness campaign called ... Read more

Indian domestic flight services would begin from Monday in a “calibrated manner”, laying the ground for gradual resumption of scheduled commercial flight operations. “Domestic civil aviation operations will recommence in a calibrated manner from Monday. All airports and air carriers are being informed to be ready for operations from May 25. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for passenger movement are also being separately issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted. All domestic passenger flight operations have been suspended for the 54-day lockdown period that began on March 25. However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights and ... Read more

The domestic flight operations in India will resume once the state governments are ready to open airports, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday. The Centre alone cannot make a decision in this regard, Puri added. “It is not up to Centre alone to decide on resuming domestic flights. In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the state governments where these flights will take off and land should be ready to allow civil aviation operations,” said Puri on social-networking platform Twitter. Commercial flight operations in the country have been suspended since March 25 when the government first imposed a ... Read more

National carrier Air India has said that it will operate flights to 32 countries to bring back stranded Indians. “Reservation for travel from India to select destinations in the USA, UK, Australia and to Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore has commenced from 1700 hrs on May 14 on the website,” a statement from the carrier said. Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that under the second phase as many as 30,000 Indians will be returning to India – which is almost double of the 14,800 Indians – which was the target number in the first phase. “In 1st phase ... Read more

Emirates is all set to operate scheduled flights to Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Paris, Sydney and Toronto from May 21. “We are pleased to resume scheduled passenger services to these destinations, providing more options for customers to travel from the UAE to these cities,” Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ chief operating officer said. As several of the destinations currently have travel bans and other entry restrictions in place, the airlines says it will only accept passengers who meet the criteria for entering their destination country. “We have implemented additional measures with the relevant authorities in respect to social distancing ... Read more

The Civil Aviation Ministry has come out with a draft standard operating procedure (SOP) for commencing commercial passenger services in the country, that will make travelling safer but more tedious. The passengers will need to show the `green status’ on their Aarogya Setu app, go through temperature checks, do web check-in and fill up a detailed questionnaire, if the draft is approved. One of the key recommendations is not to allow cabin baggage in the aircraft. The passengers will also have to reach airport at least two hours before the flight departure. The draft SOP has also mooted having the ... Read more

Qatar Airways has announced that it will offer healthcare professionals 100,000 free, round-trip tickets as a way of thanking them for their heroic work looking after people during the current COVID-19 pandemic. “Healthcare professionals from every country in the world will be eligible for tickets,” the carrier said in a statement. The giveaway will open on May 12 and close on May 18 and healthcare professionals can register for the offer at qatarairways.com/ThankYouHeroes. “Healthcare professionals that receive the promotion code can book up to two complimentary economy class return tickets on Qatar Airways operated flights – one for themselves and ... Read more

Colombia’s national airline, Avianca, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court. The carrier is the second-largest in Latin America, but its passenger operations have been grounded since March because of coronavirus. It said the pandemic had cut more than 80% of its income, and it was struggling with high fixed costs. If it fails to come out of bankruptcy, Avianca will be the first major airline to go under amid the pandemic. In a statement, the firm said it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a court in New York. The process postpones a US company’s ... Read more