Low cost carrier SpiceJet has signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing for 40 737 MAX airplanes at the 2017 Paris airshow which kicked off today. The deal, valued at $4.74 billion at current list prices, includes 20 new orders for 737 MAX 10’s and converts 20 of the carriers existing MAX 8 orders to MAX 10’s. With this order …
Read More »
Middle eastern carrier Qatar Airways has stated that operations out of it’s Doha hub are largely unaffected by the gulf ban with the vast majority of flights operating as scheduled. The airline has flown approximately 1,200 flights between Doha and its network in the past week and has said that 90 per cent of those flights departed within 15 minutes …
Read More »
While transiting Kuala Lumpur airport between two ‘regional’ flights, I had a chance to use Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge regional. Malaysian has two lounges at KLIA, a regional lounge at the main terminal building which mainly services the airline’s Boeing 737 fleet and a bigger Golden lounge at the satellite pier which services the airline’s and airports long haul wide …
Read More »
The Tata Singapore Airlines joint venture Vistara operated the inaugural flight of their brand new Airbus A320neo from New Delhi to Bangalore yesterday morning as flight UK811. The aircraft registered VT-TNB features slight changes in the livery including the Vistara star and A320neo branding on the belly, and a banner along the upper fuselage. Like national carrier Air India, Vistara’s …
Read More »
Russian airframer Irkut completed the maiden flight of it’s new MC-21-300 aircraft yesterday. The test flight was conducted at the airfield of Irkutsk Aviation Plant and reportedly lasted 30 minutes. The MC-21 program was launched in 2007 with the first prototype being rolled out in 2016. The program is headed by Irkut which is a subsidiary of the Russian government …
Read More »
Full service carrier, Vistara has taken delivery of it’s first A320neo (new engine option) at Airbus’ Toulouse plant. The aircraft is the 14th A320 in the carriers fleet and is powered by CFM’s LEAP-1A engines. The airline has equipped it’s neo with mood lighting, improved seats and a new look across all three of it’s cabins. Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, …
Read More »
Low cost carrier Indigo has won the Airbus’ award for Best Operational Excellence for the second consecutive year. Indigo won the award after outperforming 46 other airlines globally. The selection criteria for the award is based on data covering two years of operation and taking into consideration the number of aircraft in the fleet, daily utilization rate, technical reliability and …
Read More »
Low cost carrier Indigo has signed a term sheet with French airframer ATR for 50 ATR 72-600 aircraft. The order would be valued at $1.3 billion at list prices. Deliveries of the aircraft will begin towards the end of 2017. Indigo will be able to reduce the number of aircraft on order depending on it’s commercial performance. The order is …
Read More »
The first COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) C919 has successfully completed it’s first flight. The aircraft took off from Shanghai’s Pudong airport and landed back at the airport after a 79 minute flight. The first aircraft bearing the registration B-001A has been undergoing extensive ground testing since it was rolled out of the assembly hanger in 2015. The aircraft …
Read More »
Jet Airways will begin two new flights from Bangalore to Amsterdam and Chennai to Paris from 29 October 2017. The airline will operate these routes with it’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft. These flights will offer codeshare connections on Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines and will give passengers one stop connections to 35 destinations in Europe and …
Read More »
Full service carrier Vistara has introduced a fee based service called #VistaraPriority. For a fee of Rs. 500 an economy passenger will be able to check-in at the premium economy counter, have their bags tagged as priority, and get priority boarding along with premium economy passengers. The service can be booked in advance with a 10% discount while booking a …
Read More »
Jet Airways will add 42 weekly flights connecting three new city pairs from 1st May 2017. The airline is begining a direct New Delhi – Nagpur service, Lucknow – Kolkata service and Kozhikode – Bengaluru service. Jet Airways 9W 7065 will depart New Delhi at 0745 hrs, arriving in Nagpur at 0930 hrs. 9W 7062 will depart Nagpur at 1020 …
Read More »
Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 completed it’s first flight today. The aircraft piloted by Boeing Test & Evaluation Capts. Christine Walsh and Ed Wilson completed a successful 2 hour, 42-minute flight, taking off from Renton Municipal Airport and landing the nearby Boeing Field. The flight of the brand new 737 comes just around 50 years after the first flight of the …
Read More »
Last weekend we got a photograph of a special visitor to Bangalore – a private jet from the Qatar Amiri Flight fleet at Bangalore’s HAL airport. The Qatar Amiri flight is an exclusive airline operated for Qatar’s royal family and VIP members of its government. The aircraft that visited Bangalore was A7-HSJ, a four year old Airbus A320ACJ (Airbus corporate …
Read More »
American airframer Boeing has announced that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified the 737 MAX 8 for commercial service. The airframer is preparing for the first 737 MAX 8 delivery in the second quarter of this year. To earn certification, Boeing used a fleet of four test aircraft to undertake comprehensive test program. The test program also included …
Read More »
A couple of days back a Jet Airways 777-300ER (VT-JEX) operating 9W-118 from Mumbai to London was intercepted by two German air force fighter jets (most likely Eurofighter Typhoons) near Cologne. The aircraft was not responding to calls on the assigned ATC frequencies. Aviation Herald, a world leading aviation safety website, reported, once the aircraft was intercepted by the fighter …
Read More »
American airframer Boeing has rolled out the largest of the 787 dreamliner family at it’s Charleston, South Carolina plant. The event was celebrated by thousands of Boeing employees, along with U.S. President Donald Trump and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. Dennis Muilenburg, chairman, president and CEO, Boeing said “What’s happening here at Boeing South Carolina is a true American success …
Read More »
The 2017 edition of Aero India begins tomorrow. The biennial will be conducted from 14 to 18 February 2017 at Air force station Yelahanka. Yesterday we were at the dress rehearsal and have put together some a preview of the show. Helicopters Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are displaying a variety of helicopters in this years …
Read More »
Middle-eastern carrier Etihad Airways will launch a third daily flight from Bangalore to Abu Dhabi from 26 March 2017. The new flight will allow the airline to offer passengers from Bangalore more connections to Europe and North America via it’s Abu Dhabi hub. The flight will be operated using a two class Airbus A321. The new flight’s late night departure …
Read More »
It appears the Airbus A320neos ordered by original launch customer Qatar Airways, are getting diverted to the world’s largest A320neo operator, currently, India’s Indigo. The Gulf carrier had ordered 34 A320neos powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW100G Geared Turbo-Fan (GTF) engine, and was slated to be the launch customer. However the airline started cancelling airframes in their dispute with …
Read More »
Bangalore Aviation News, Reviews, Analysis and opinions of Indian Aviation