Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

Jet Airways launches Android smartphones app

by BA Staff Jet Airways has launched its mobile application (app) designed exclusively for Android smartphones. The mobile application will allow the airline’s guests to conveniently book tickets, check flight status, manage their JetPrivilege account and enjoy special promotional offers, among a host of other features. The native mobile application is now available for free down load from Google Play. …

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Videos: Singapore Airlines launches its new ad campaign “The lengths we go to”

by Devesh Agarwal Iconic national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has launched a new global brand campaign named “The Lengths We Go To”, showcasing the airline’s commitment to putting the customer at the heart of everything it does. Explaining the thinking behind Singapore Airlines service experience, and the brand campaign, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President Commercial, Mr Mak Swee Wah, said …

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Air India constitutes over 80% of dues to Airports Authority of India

by Devesh Agarwal Air India is well known for receiving thousands of crores of tax-payer rupees in bailouts, however, the unfettered largesse to the beleaguered national carrier does not end there. The airline is the constant recipient of indirect dole in the form of huge overdues to state-run service providers like the Airports Authority of India which runs most of …

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India succesfully addresses ICAO’s safety concerns

by BA Staff The Press Information Bureau, Government of India reports, The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) validation team submitted its report and recommendations to ICAO headquarters for the review by the ICAO SSC Validation Committee. ICAO has conveyed that corrective action taken by India have successfully addressed and resolved two Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) relating to airworthiness and operations. …

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Boeing Launches 787 Training in Miami

Training capability at Miami campus enhanced across airplane types by BA Staff Florida Gov. Scott and BFS VP Carbary in the 787 simulator Boeing launched customer training for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft in Miami, Florida, site of the company’s largest commercial aviation training campus. Aeromexico and LAN Airlines are the first two customers to train on the new 787 suites …

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New Director of Flight Operations and Head of Engineering for AirAsia India announced

by BA Staff Photo copyright (c) AirAsia announced the appointment of Amit Singh as the Director of Flight Operations and Ganpathy Sampath as the Head of Engineering for AirAsia India. Amit Singh has 20 years of airline experience, more than 11,000 flying hours on the Boeing B777 and Airbus A320 and has flown with Air India, IndiGo and Scoot. He …

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Write to AERA about proposed airport charge hikes at Bangalore

The Bengaluru International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), which operates the Bangalore airport, is proposing hikes in User Development Fees (UDF) of up to 750%!!! From the existing Rs. 231.40, BIAL has proposed to the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), revised UDF of Rs. 1,729.43. Even international passengers will see an almost doubling of their UDF from the existing Rs. 952.30 to …

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Advanced Super Hornet demonstrates significant stealth and range improvements

by BA Staff During three weeks of flight testing the Advanced Super Hornet F/A-18F, Boeing and its partner Northrop Grumman demonstrated that the fighter can outperform threats for decades to come with improvements that make the jet much harder for radar to detect and give it significantly more combat range. Through 21 flights in St. Louis and Patuxent River, MD., …

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Air India’s latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrives at Delhi

by Devesh Agarwal VT-ANN, L/N 90 C/N 36285, the latest Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner of national carrier Air India arrived in to New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport yesterday. VT-ANN AIC164 flight track. Courtesy FlightAware. Deviations from flight plan route are normally due to weather or ATC. The aircraft was flown 14 hours 12 minutes, non-stop from Paine Field in …

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Emirates offers free nights at Armani Hotel Milano

by BA Staff Armani Hotel Milano. Photo courtesy Emirates airline Dubai-based Emirates airline is offering its passengers a special free night offer at the luxury Armani Hotel Milano, valid between 1st November 2013 and 31st January 2014. Located in the iconic fashion district of Milan known as Quadrilatero della Moda, Armani Hotel Milano is only a few minutes away from …

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Airbus A380 completes five years in service with Emirates

by BA Staff Emirates A380 arriving at London Heathrow airport. CC License The Airbus A380 marked a major milestone this month with the five-year anniversary of its service entry in the fleet of Emirates – the largest operator and and largest customer for the superjumbo. This Dubai-based carrier has conducted some 20,000 round trip flights since initiating A380 operations in …

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Vijay Gopalan named as Chief Financial Officer for AirAsia India

by BA Staff AirAsia A320 9M-AHS at Penang airport. AirAsia has appointed Vijay Gopalan as the Chief Financial Officer for AirAsia India. Vijay is a Chartered Accountant with over a decade’s experience from Chennai as well as a holder of Advanced Diploma in Marketing and Sales from the National Institute of Sales. Prior to AirAsia, Vijay was attached to the …

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Qatar Airways offers discounts for HSBC credit card holders

by BA Staff Qatar Airways cabin crew. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal Qatar Airways is offering discounts to HSBC Bank India debit and credit card holders. The airline is offering 10% savings in Economy Class and 15% in Business Class valid for sale ­­­until September 15, 2013 with all travel to be completed on, or before, March 31 2014. Card-holders should …

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GE Aviation testing new composite fan blades for the GE9X engine

by BA Staff Image courtesy GE GE Aviation has begun testing on its new composite fan blades for the GE9X, the next-generation GE90 engine that will power Boeing’s 777X aircraft. This validation test is the first of several testing programs GE has planned this year for the GE9X fan module. The first round of fan blade tests occurred in June …

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Japan Airlines to introduce new menus and services on Japan Honolulu flights

by Devesh Agarwal BEDD for Resort salmon with ginger-fried pork Japan Airlines (JAL) will offer new restaurant inspired in-flight meal services on its new service from Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii, USA which starts this autumn. In business class JAL will introduce “BEDD for Resort”, a special menu crafted by Star chef Chikara Yamada. The Japanese menu is seasonal autumn salmon …

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New Boeing 737-800s of SpiceJet and Jet Airways delivered

by Devesh Agarwal US airplane manufacturer Boeing has delivered to two Indian airlines, SpiceJet and Jet Airways, their newest 737-800NG aircraft. Last Thursday, VT-SZH of SpiceJet, L/N 4573 C/N 41261 B737-86N departed Boeing Field International airport for India via Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. The aircraft has already landed in New Delhi and completing its customs and aviation paperwork formalities to enter …

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High resolution photos of South African Airways A320, French Air Force A400M, Turkish Air Force A400M

Courtesy Airbus S.A.S. some high resolution photos for your enjoyment. South African Airways takes delivery of its first two A320s ‘classic’. Enjoy the livery. The French Air Force (Armee De L’Air) took delivery of the first A400M transporter. Not high resolution. The first flight of the first A400M destined for the Turkish Air Force. All images are courtesy and copyright …

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Airbus achieves 8,000 aircraft delivered milestone

Photo courtesy Airbus S.A.S. Used under fair use. Earlier this month, Airbus achieved a historic milestone when it delivered its 8,000th aircraft – an A320 for the Indonesian wing of AirAsia. Over the years, Airbus S.A.S. has grown from a single aircraft model company to an aircraft manufacturer, offering aircraft covering every segment of the market from 100 to 500+ …

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Philippine Airlines takes delivery of first Airbus A321

by BA Staff Image courtesy Airbus S.A.S. Used under fair use license. Philippine Airlines (PAL) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321. It is the first of 64 new Airbus aircraft ordered by the airline in 2012 under a major fleet modernisation programme. These include 44 single aisle A321s and 20 widebody A330s. Philippine Airlines will operate the A321 …

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Japan ‘bans’ Air India’s Dreamliners

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner line number 35 test registered N1015 (later became VT-ANH) at the India Aviation show, Hyderabad March 2012. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal.

Japanese government irritated by Air India’s inefficiency About three weeks ago I wrote debunking the myth being created by the Air India management and their political bosses about the fuel efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft being the saviour of the beleaguered national carrier. Read the Op-Ed piece here. In June no less than the Indian civil aviation minister, Ajit Singh, …

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