Tag: Aviation

Flying in India will soon become more expensive as the Ministry of Civil Aviation has accorded the approval for increase of ASF (Aviation Security Fees) With effect from 01 APR, domestic passengers will have to pay ASF at the rate of INR 200 per passenger whereas in the case of international passengers, the same would be levied at the rate INR 900 per passenger. Certain categories of travellers are however exempted from paying this fee,  including children under age of 2years, diplomatic passport holders, airline crew on duty, transit passengers and persons travelling on official duty for United Nations Peacekeeping ... Read more

The Director-General of Civil Aviation has extended the restrictions on international passenger flights due to the Covid disease until March 31. However, the restrictions do not apply to cargo flights approved by the DGCI. At the same time, the order states that international services will be allowed on selected routes depending on the circumstances. In the wake of Covid, the country imposed restrictions on international flights last March. Since then, regulation in other parts of the country has eased, but restrictions on international flights remain. By the end of last year, domestic flights were allowed in the country.

The flight tickets in India are set to rise as the civil aviation ministry on Thursday has increased the lower and upper limits on domestic airfares by 10 to 30%. The ministry extended the cap on airfare till 31 March. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the aviation ministry implemented a restriction on domestic airfare in May 2020. Domestic flights in India have a cap on fares with both an upper and lower limit. Flights between cities that are under 40 minutes have been classified under section one, while those under 40-60 minutes are under section two. Section three ... Read more

India’s aviation safety regulator DGCA on Thursday decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger flights till 28 February 2021. The DGCA circular also said that the suspension does not affect the operation of international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by it. The circular issued by DGCA also said “However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis” International scheduled flights, however, may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis, the circular added. The suspension of international commercial passenger flights from/to India, ... Read more

Companies in about half-a-dozen sectors, including hospitality, aviation, travel and tourism, are likely to seek the benefit of one-time loan restructuring which will kick in from September, bankers have said. There may not be a rush for restructuring from corporates as only those sectors which are having cash flow problems are likely to go in for loan recast to avoid the tag of ‘restructured account’, a PTI report said quoting bankers. Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) are already covered under the ongoing restructuring scheme which was tweaked earlier this month to cover those impacted by COVID-19 crisis, PTI said. ... Read more

The airline and travel industries are adopting novel measures to build confidence among travellers. CarTrawler, a Dublin based mobility solutions provider, has come up with a report about the various ways in which the companies are trying to drive up confidence among consumers. Airlines, hotels, vacation rentals, car hires, airport transfers, and sightseeing companies are already making decisions to ensure the safety of their customers, the report said. This confidence will be built in layers, and here are some of the examples provided in the report: Emirates prohibits large carry-on bags in an effort to reduce congestion in the aisles ... 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

IndiGo has announced that it will be cancelling its flights on Delhi-Istanbul and Chennai-Kuala Lumpur routes till March 31. “These are purely temporary and precautionary measures. We understand that these measures will cause inconvenience to our customers and we will be refunding the full amount to the impacted passengers,” the airline stated in a press release. The airline has already cancelled flights between Bangalore-Kuala Lumpur until March 31 and Delhi-Kuala Lumpur until April 30.

Indian low-cost carrier GoAir has suspended all international operations in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic, and asked its employees to opt for leave-without-pay on a rotational basis till April 15. “The sharp decline in air travel that we are currently experiencing is unprecedented,” GoAir said in a statement. The airline said that its short-term and temporary rotational leave-without-pay programme will not only help the company counter the short term reduction in capacity, but will also ensure that a cross-section of employees stays away from the workplace to ensure business continuity.

Star Air, a regional commuter airline, has started a direct flight services between Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Kishangarh (Ajmer – Rajasthan). Rajasthan is the seventh Indian state where Star Air is providing its flight services under the RCS-UDAN scheme. Interestingly, Indore and Kishangarh, which are almost 550 kilometres apart, had not been blessed with direct flight connectivity prior to Star Air’s launch. People had to spend more than 10 hours to cover this distance that too with much hassle and discomfort. But now they can cover this distance in just one hour. Kishangarh is famous for its world-class marbles. “Star ... Read more

An association representing all the major American airlines has sought a $50 billion bailout package, even as the White House looks to draft a financial assistance package to help the industry. Travel demand in the US has fallen steeply following the corona virus outbreak, bringing the airline industry to its knees. Airlines for America, the association representing many of the US carriers, has said that without timely action all airlines will run out of money by year-end. The association has said the industry needs $25 billion in grants, $25 billion loans and significant tax relief to keep its head above ... Read more

The Aero India show that is on in Bengaluru is celebrating successful women professionals in the field of Defence Aviation. As a precursor to the focus theme, a seminar was organised yesterday on Women in Aviation. The successful professionals from the field of Aviation and defence spoke on how they succeeded in establishing themselves in the professions dominated by men. Dr. Tessy Thomas who is Director General (Aero) in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) narrates of her experience as the Project Director of Agni missile programme. Dr. Tessy, popularly known as the Missile Woman of India, is a recipient ... Read more

The Dubai-based Emirates Airline has announced discounted fares for a number of destinations, including popular places like Munich, Vienna, Prague, London, Paris, Maldives, Seychelles, Manila, Mumbai, Delhi, Colombo and Hyderabad, if they intend to travel this month until May 31, 2019. Just in time for the holidays, the offers include return flights to multiple locations in Europe, Thailand, Philippines and India, with prices starting from Dhs825. Those who are planning to travel to India any time soon, make sure to catch a flight to Mumbai, Chennai or Thiruvananthapuram between Monday February 11 and Monday 18. Prices for all those destinations ... Read more

Air India Express is all set to launch its first direct flight service from Surat to Sharjah on February 16, 2019 and will also expand services from Gulf to Kannur in Kerala. The carrier will deploy Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft on this route and will be upgraded to four flights a week in the summer schedule. Surat-Sharjah will be the 47th non-stop direct connection of Air India Express between destinations in India and the Gulf region. Air India Express is set to further expand its operations in its summer schedule 2019, which shall commence on March 31, 2019.Operating with a ... Read more

Passengers may leave the airport and return to board the aircraft, if the flight has been delayed. It was proposed by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). They have also suggested changes to protocol that would speed up the number of checks that a traveller has to go through while re-entering the airport. The proposal came up in a meeting between DIAL and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of India (BCAS), who sets rules for security arrangements in airports across the country. Currently the proposal is under consideration of BCAS. Current rules allow for a passenger to leave the ... Read more