Category: Aviation

Etihad Airways has decided to increase frequency to London for the festive season. Effective 15 December 2018 – 13 January 2019, Etihad Airways will increase its flights from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, from three to four daily services, to meet peak demand this festive season. The flights will be operated by a two-class Boeing 787-9, featuring 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. “We are thrilled to announce more flights to London over the festive period. This is a busy time for local guests travelling between both capitals and the extra service will allow more choice and flexibility in ... Read more

Emirates has won the Aviation 100 ‘Middle East & Africa Airline of the Year’, awarded by Airline Economics magazine. The Aviation 100 awards recognise aviation’s most outstanding performers, as well as the most innovative and successful finance and leasing deals closed in the last 12 months. The awards were held during the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Dubai 2018 conference gala dinner. Emirates and its financing partners also won ‘Deal of the Year for Innovation’, which resulted from a leasing transaction of five Airbus A380s. Nirmal Govindadas, Senior Vice President Corporate Treasury received both awards on behalf of Emirates earlier this ... Read more

Kannur International Airport will start its commercial operations on 9th December 2018. The inauguration date is announced after the airport has received the aerodrome licence to start commercial flight operations from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday, 4th October 2018. The mandatory licence needed for the airport, was handed over to Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) in New Delhi on Thursday. “We have received the aerodrome license from the DGCA and thus overcome all hurdles to commence flight operations,” said V Thulasidas, KIAL Managing Director The only formality left for the flight operations was the publication of ... Read more

Almost 25 per cent of travellers say that they are not at all concerned about security when using WiFi in an airport or on a plane, according to a recent survey by the GO Group, LLC, an international ground transportation provider. However, 48 per cent said they were somewhat concerned. Only 19 per cent of the 293 respondents were very concerned while nine per cent said they never thought about their security while online at airports on planes. “Travelers need to be aware that it is not overly difficult for criminals to steal personal information when people use WiFi networks ... Read more

SpiceJet is introducing flights from Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN. The direct Ahmedabad-Jaisalmer-Ahmedabad and Surat-Jaisalmer-Surat flights will commence operations on October 31 and November 30, respectively. The routes were awarded to the airline under UDAN II. With the introduction of the two routes, SpiceJet will operate 25 daily flights under UDAN in straight 14 months since its first launch in July 2017. SpiceJet is also planning to enhance its operations on the Surat-Goa sector with a second direct flight from November 30. The airline’s Ahmedabad–Patna flights will operate from October ... Read more

IndiGo is planning to launch non-stop flights between Kuala Lumpur-Bangalore and Kuala Lumpur-Delhi. The new flight routes will come into effect from November 15 onwards. The new flights are designed to cater to business and leisure travellers from these cities. “We are pleased to announce Kuala Lumpur as our 12th international destination effective November 2018. Malaysia provides a complete package for business travellers, holiday makers, the meeting and conference segment. We see great potential on the India- Malaysia route due to the extensive cultural, business and tourism links between the two countries,” said William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo. “IndiGo will ... Read more

ACI chief Angela Gittens hands over the award to CIAL operations senior manager Manu G. (Photo Courtesy: Indian Express) Cochin International Airport (CIAL) has secured third place in the Airport Service Quality survey conducted by Airports Council International (ACI), a non-profit organisation representing the world’s airports.  The award was in the Asia-Pacific region, 5 to 15 million passengers category. CIAL achieved this award based on facilities provided by the airport, such as car parking, check-in services, food, entertainment and toilets. Around 6 lakh passengers have participated on the survey conducted by ACI. Kochi Airport, which runs on solar power, has ... Read more

Eleven international companies and six domestic companies have agreed to operate from the Kannur International Airport, Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan said. “It is a matter of pride that we have been able to make progress in the construction of Kannur international airport within the last two years,” he said while presiding over the annual general meeting of the company. International airlines such as Emirates, Etihad, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Saudia Airways, Silk Air, Air Asia and Malindo Air and domestic airline companies such as Air India Express, Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India ... Read more

Kerala tourism is planning to introduce ‘Heli Ride’ for the tourists coming on international cruise liners at the port of call. The discussions are on initial stage; however the authorities are likely launch it as a pilot programme at the forthcoming Kerala Travel Mart (KTM 2018) by offering the facility to the delegates. The programme should have approval from the Cochin Port and Navy and the discussion with the port officials are on by the tourism department and KTM organizers. Kerala based helicopter operator Chipsan Aviation may be opted to operate the heli services, as they are already meeting the ... Read more

Photo Courtesy: NewsX on Monday 24th September 201. Pakyong Airport, spread across 201 acres, is the 100th Airport in the country. The high-altitude airport (1,120 m from seal level) is also strategically important from the defence point of view as it is within 60 km of the border with China. In his inaugural address, PM Modi told people gathered at Pakyong airport that the emphasis is on enhancing infrastructural and emotional connectivity in the north eastern region. Construction of the Pakyong Greenfield Airport was started in 2008 at an estimated cost of Rs 254 crore. Work on the project got ... Read more

Çelebi Airport Services, a global service provider in ground handling services, has bagged the ground handling services at Kerala’s newest airport, Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL). Kannur airport will be Çelebi’s sixth airport in India after Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, where the company won the ground handling license in June 2018. The partnership with KIAL is the company’s second win in the state after Cochin International Airport. The total investment made by Çelebi under this partnership will be worth more than USD 4 million. The license for providing ground handling services at KIAL was won by Çelebi on the ... Read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first airport in Sikkim at Paykong on September 24 and is expected to improve connectivity, benefitting the people of the state. “In Sikkim, I will be inaugurating the Pakyong Airport tomorrow, which will improve connectivity and benefit the people of Sikkim,” Prime Minister tweeted today. Sikkim’s dream of having an airport is fulfilling after 9 years. The foundation stone of the greenfield airport was laid, around 33 km from Gangtok, in 2009. The Pakyong airport is spread over 201 acres and is located on top of a hill about two km above Pakyong ... Read more

Oman Air has announced its plan to add Athens, the capital of Greece to its expanding network. The airline said this was first of its several new routes to be launched in 2019. The daily flight to and from Athens will be operated with the new-state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Oman Air flight WY 191 will depart Muscat at 2.45 pm and reach Athens at 7.50 pm, while on return it will take off from Athens airport at 12.20 am and reach Muscat at 6.35 am. “We are extremely proud and happy to add Athens to our rapidly growing network, as ... Read more

Emirates continues to delight customers with its annual Oktoberfest celebrations on board and on the ground. From September 22 to October 7, customers travelling in all classes between Dubai and Germany will enjoy a special seasonal menu of Bavarian-inspired food and beverage. The celebrations kick off in the iconic A380 onboard lounge with Paulaner Oktoberfestbier served in a traditional stein or German beer glass. Paulaner is a mainstay at the festival and has played an active part in Oktoberfest for over 200 years. Today, Paulaner is one of only six breweries to serve at the event, giving customers an authentic ... Read more

Jharsuguda airport, Odisha Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new airport in Jharsuguda, named after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai. The first flight took off from the airport today with 10 passengers, including four differently abled children and three crew members (a pilot, an assistant pilot and a flight attendant). The Air Odisha plane flew to Raipur minutes after the inauguration function. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had earlier wrote to the Union Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, requesting him to name the Jharsuguda airport after the freedom fighter, who hails from the region. Veer Surendra Sai Airport is the second operational ... Read more