Category: Aviation

  Concorde flights were a popular name till the start of 21st century. This supersonic passenger airline which commenced the operations in 1976 had to terminate its service in 2003 as it never had enough travellers to make a commercial impact. British Airways and Air France were the two airlines which had a try with the supersonic giants. The love for Concorde may be ignited again as Boom, a Denver-based start-up, is planning to give another try with a 55-seat jet and will be having a long-range cruising speed of Mach 2.2 (1,451mph/2,335km/h). The company hopes to have lower operating ... Read more

Asia is known as the powerhouse of aviation market. However, according to new research by flight data provider OAG, three of world’s busiest routes are North American airports. Two of those routes shuttle passengers between United States and Canada. One reason for this high demand maybe Canada is drawing record numbers of international travellers, including those from USA. Or it might be the resurgence of interest in international travel by Canadians after a setback by a weak economy and unfavourable currency exchange rates. The airline carried a record 48 million passengers last year after inclusion of 30 new routes last year ... Read more

Jet Airways has completed 25 years of operations from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Jet Airways first flight, 9W321, took off on 5 May 1993 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. “This day represents an unforgettable milestone and is a mix of emotion and elation for us all. We are both humbled and honoured by the overwhelming trust, support and appreciation received from our Guests over the years, as we fondly recall the first steps we took on what has been a truly exciting journey in bringing the Joy of Flying to millions of our Guests. It gives me great pleasure to reaffirm our commitment ... Read more

By launching direct service between Václav Havel Airport, Prague and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), American Airlines has brought USA and Czech Republic closer. The daily flights will be operating throughout the summer season, providing more than 2,800 seats per week between the two cities. The flights are operated using Boeing 767-300 aircraft and is the first airline to connect the Czech Republic and the state of Pennsylvania with a direct flight. The business class offers 28 fully lie-flat, aisle accessible seats arranged in one-two-one configuration. The class is equipped with personal Samsung Galaxy tablets loaded with the latest movies, TV ... Read more

Jharsuguda Airport has received DGCA licence and said it will commence flight operations from June 14. Air Odisha, which bagged the bid, will operate flights from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar, Ranchi and Raipur thereby meeting the long-standing demands for air-connectivity to the Western Odisha region. The airline will use a 21-seater dual-engine Beechcraft aircraft (1900D) to operate from Jharsuguda to the three destinations under the regional connectivity scheme. “We received Jharsuguda Airport’s commercial operations licence on May 4. We are taking a month’s time before starting the operations for marketing purposes,” said an Air Odisha spokesperson. Air Odisha will operate one flight each daily ... Read more

With an aim to increase more people to people exchanges, especially tourism from India, the Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan, said it will extend electronic-Visa facility for India starting from July 2018. The country had already initiated friendly-visa regime for Indians from early this year by doing away with the mandatory ‘invitation letter’ clause for applying for visa. “The e-Visa system will further ease the processes to enhance more travel exchanges between the two countries. Uzbekistan offers a wide range of attractions for tourists starting from religious to spiritual to eco-tourism, adventure, educational, etc. With less than three hours of flying time ... Read more

Emirates has launched the Emirates Vintage Collection – a selection of fine wines from its cellar in Burgundy which have been stored for up to 15 years. The four wines to be included this year are the Château Cheval Blanc 2004, Château Haut Brion 2004, Château Mouton Rothschild 2001 and Château Margaux 1998. Due to limited availability, these exclusive wines will be served in First Class on select routes for a limited period. Since 2006, Emirates has been buying wines for long term storage, many of which were purchased ‘en Primeur’ or when they were still in barrel. The Emirates ... Read more

Major aviation consultancy, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has urged the Central government to make the process of Air India Privatization investor-friendly otherwise it might soon shut down. CAPA, through its Twitter account said that “CAPA estimates AI headed for 2-year losses of USD1.5-2.0 bn in FY19/FY20. Failure to divest could see AI close unless govt willing to spend taxpayer funds. Far less costly to make offer more attractive to investors”. According to CAPA, the three key themes emerging on Air Indian divestment are: 1) Critical that terms in EOI – particularly for labour & debt – are amended, as ... Read more

Cox & Kings Global Services (CKGS) has opened the new Morocco Visa Application and Information Centre in Mumbai. Mohamed Maliki, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, inaugurated the new centre at Dalamal Towers, A Wing, 4th Floor, Unit No: 410 – 412, Free Press Journal Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai.  The company is als0 planning to open a new MVAIC in Hyderabad in June 2018. CKGS has centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Pune, Goa Indore and Bangalore.  CKGS is set to open a new MVAICs in Hyderabad in June 2018. “The ties between Morocco and India go ... Read more

SpiceJet has launched daily direct services between Delhi and Punjab’s Adampur. The first direct flight was flagged off from Delhi airport’s Terminal 2 to Adampur by Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet. SpiceJet was awarded Adampur under the first round of the regional connectivity scheme UDAN and the city is the fifth destination for the airline under this scheme. In addition to Adampur, SpiceJet also launched daily services between Leh and Delhi. Flight SG 8731 was flagged off at 3:30 pm from Delhi and SG 8732 was given a flag ... Read more

The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority (APTA) is planning to host a three-day air show in the city from November 23. The event, titled Air Show-2018, will be held at Punnami Ghat. Air Show-2018 would be held with the support of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). About `2.85 crore will be required to host the event, and the state government has released a government order (GO RT 149) sanctioning the same in principle. APTA is planning to conduct 24 events between June 2018 and March 2019. “The calendar of events would be ready by May-end and would be presented to ... Read more

The construction of the proposed Jewar International Airport in Greater Noida is expected to begin in 2019. The Uttar Pradesh government had set up a joint venture company tp acquire 1441 hectre of land for the project at a cost of Rs 4000 crore. The project has got a no objection certificate from the home and defence ministries. The project has also received an in-principle clearance for immigration services. The airport will not only bring Kanpur and Allahabad closer to National Capital Region under the regional connectivity scheme Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) but also benefit locations in neighbouring ... Read more

The Berlin airport is all set to open in 2020 and an expansion is already planned in time to be completed for the opening. The airport, BER, has announced its plan to build another terminal before it’s opening date. With the new terminal, the airport will be able to handle an additional six million passengers every year. The new terminal is proposed with the hope that it would increase the total capacity at the airport’s opening to 28 million passengers. Together with Schönefeld Airport, which will remain in operation up to the end of 2025, Berlin’s airports will then be able to accommodate ... Read more

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plans to operate daily direct flights between New Delhi and Ukraine’s capital Kiev from next year.  The carrier has started operating non-stop flight between the two cities from May 1, with thrice a week service. From June 7, the frequency of flights will grow to four flights a week. The airline has announced an inaugural return fare of Rs 27,500 in the economy and Rs 1,14,000 for return Business class. “We are opening 80,000 seats between two capital cities in a year,” said Sergey Fomenko, Vice President – Commerce, UIA. Flights to and from the Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport ... Read more

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to for expansion and upgradation of integrated terminals at Chennai, Guwahati & Lucknow Airports, at a cost of Rs 2467 crore, Rs 1383 crore and Rs 1232 crore, respectively. Construction of New Integrated Terminal at Lucknow airport will have an area of 88,000 sqm along with the existing terminal building with 16292 sqm. The airport will have annual capacity to handle 2.6 million international and 11 million domestic passenger traffic. The new terminal building would cater to the requirement of passenger growth up to ... Read more