Category: Aviation

Norwegian Air will suspend almost all ts flights and temporarily lay off majority of its staff, as a the corona virus scare has choked the demand for air travel. The carrier has said that it will cancel 85% of its flight and lay off 90% of its staff that translates into 7,300 employees. “What our industry is now facing is unprecedented and critical as we are approaching a scenario where most of our airplanes will be temporarily grounded,” Norwegian Air said in a statement. The company will primarily fly a reduced schedule domestically in Norway and between the Nordic capitals. ... Read more

India has prohibited all airlines from carrying passengers from the European Union and the European Free Trade Association member states. The blanket ban will come into effect from March 18 from 5.30 pm onwards. “Travel advisories have been tightened as a preventive measure,” said health ministry joint secretary Lav Aggarwal. An order by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, “No airline shall board a passenger from these nations from March 18. The airline shall enforce this at the port of initial departure.” The European Free Trade Association states include Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. United Kingdom and Turkey ... Read more

As the spread of the dreaded corona virus has resulted in flight cancellations, many commercial airlines have announced cuts in their flight schedule. This has sparked greater interest in the availability of private jets. With clients looking to avoid crowded airports, steer clear from packed cabins of commercial flights or to evacuate affected areas, private jets are now being looked upon as viable alternatives. Passengers want to travel as quickly as possible and reach safer destinations without hassle, during this crisis period. Charter jet services like New York based FlyBLACK are serving a broader range of passengers than ever before. ... Read more

IndiGo Airlines has announced the cancellation of some flights to Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi from March 17, in view of travel restrictions arising out of the corona virus scare. “Owing to the suspension of visas for all foreigners with exception of diplomatic passport holders, Indigo will be cancelling some of its flights (as mentioned above) until the travel restrictions are lifted. The airline said it would be refunding the entire amount to the impacted passengers,” the airline said in a statement.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has stepped up calls for government support, warning that the travel meltdown could lead to many of the airlines facing steep losses within the next two months. IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac said the risk of further bankruptcies will depend on the intensity and the duration of the coronavirus crisis. Talking to news agency Reuters, he said if the drop is as significant as seen now, the industry will see difficulties. Airlines are demanding relief from charges related to aircraft parking and overflight fees, which is essentially a fee for airspace usage. Many carriers ... Read more

The Director General of Civil Aviation has stated that it would be appropriate if airlines support their passengers in this tough time by waiving off cancellation/rescheduling charges. In light of the hardship faced by passengers, airlines may like to consider and take an appropriate call, DGCA said. The aviation industry has been facing serious challenges, in view of the unfolding impact of COVID-19. Flights are being curtailed, cancelled and disrupted almost on a daily basis. Consequently, the travel plans of the passengers have got hit badly.

Russia’s Sheremetyevo wins best large airport of the year award The Russian airport of Sheremetyevo has been picked as the best large airport in Europe in 2019, according to a survey by the Airport Council International’s (ACI) airport service quality programme. This is the second consecutive year that Sheremetyevo has led the survey in the category of airports serving more than 40 million passengers per year. The award will be presented at the ASQ Awards ceremony in September as part of the third Global Summit of the Airport Council International (ACI) in Kraków, Poland. Sheremetyevo Airport has consistently led the ... Read more

Qatar Airways has launched a new commercial policy to provide customers with maximum flexibility to suit their travel plans. Passengers who have booked or will book flights for travel up to June 30 this year, will be offered the flexibility to change their travel plans. They can alter their dates of booking or exchange their ticket for a travel voucher valid for one year. Both changes apply up to three days prior to departure. This commercial policy has been designed to provide Qatar Airways’ passengers with peace of mind when booking flights in light of COVID-19 and its impact on ... Read more

IndiGo is planning to operate non-stop flights between India and Europe, said Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo. “That is why we have ordered the Airbus Extra Long Range aircraft,” Dutta said at a press conference called to announce IndiGo’s code-share partnership with Qatar Airways. The aircraft was ordered by IndiGo earlier this month as part of a 300- aircraft deal with Airbus. IndiGo’s code-share partnership with Qatar Airways will initially be on three routes — Doha to Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. “Qatar Airways’ passengers will get the same amenities and baggage allowance when they travel on IndiGo flights,” said ... Read more

Starting from November 22, AirAsia India will fly daily on the Ahmedabad-Bengaluru route. The airline also has plans to start multiple flights connecting Ahmedabad with major destinations like Delhi, Goa and Hyderabad. Ahmedabad will become the 21st destination on the airline’s network after the beginning of services on the Ahmedabad-Bengaluru route. “We will soon be launching Ahmedabad-Delhi by next month, with increased frequency to 3X (three times) daily, further down the line. Alongside that, we will also be increasing the Ahmedabad-Bengaluru frequency to 2x (two times) daily,” said Sanjay Kumar, COO, AirAsia India. He said the airline is keen on expanding ... Read more

The Jaffna international flight service of Air India’s Alliance Air, which was scheduled to kick off operations from November 1, has been delayed by about 10 days “due to paperwork and certain issues that are being sorted out,” according to officials. “There is some paperwork going on at the moment and certain approvals need to be got,” said an Air India official. “Since this is between two countries, a few issues are also being sorted out,” the official added. “We will be finalising the date soon and we will give a couple of days for opening the booking process and ... Read more

Vistara has announced a six-time-a-week (except Wednesdays) direct service to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Mumbai starting November 25, 2019, onwards, making it the fourth international destination in network. The airline will fly its Airbus A320neo aircraft with three-class cabin configuration between Mumbai and Colombo, which makes Vistara the first airline to offer the choice of Premium Economy class for travel on the India and Sri Lanka route, in addition to Economy and Business Class. “Sri Lanka is a very promising destination for Vistara, given the growth it continues to record in trade and tourism, especially as India is the largest ... Read more

Effective December 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020, GoAir will operate direct flights to Malé five days a week from Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. Bookings are now open for travel, and is timed ahead of the upcoming holiday and wedding season in India. For the winter schedule, GoAir is offering return fares as low as Rs 9,999 (all inclusive). Return flight for Mumbai-Male-Mumbai sector are Rs 11,999/- (all inclusive). The direct flight G8 23 will depart from Mumbai at 09:00 hours and arrive in Malé at 11:15 hours, every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. On its return journey, flight G8 ... Read more

UK-based TUI Airways has been awarded slots at Dabolim airport, giving a big relief to the tourism industry in Goa as TUI Airways brings around 30,000 tourists throughout the season. “The first TUI aircraft is scheduled to land at Dabolim airport on November 2 at around 11.30 am. Around 30,000 British passengers are expected to arrive in Goa this season and who will spend at least 10 days during their trip, thereby generating revenue to the government, said Savio Messias, President, Travel and Tourism Association of Goa. “It is a big relief to the tourism industry in Goa with the ... Read more

AirAsia India has launched flight services to Imphal, Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi from Agartala, the capital of Tripura. Biplab Kumar Deb, Chief Minister, Tripura flagged off the first AirAsia India flight to Kolkata from the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport. Sanjay Kumar, COO, AirAsia India informed that 14 flight per week would be operated from the Maharaj Bir Bikram Airport on the Agartala-Kolkata, Agartala-Delhi, Agartala-Guwahati and Agartala-Imphal routes. “We also have plans to extend our service for connecting Agartala with Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai. This is our 20th destination in the country,” he said. On the occasion, Sanjay said that air ... Read more