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.

Etihad and Lufthansa to co-operate on catering and maintenance

James Hogan, President & CEO Etihad Aviation Group, H.E. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman Etihad Aviation Group and Carsten Spohr, Chairman & CEO Lufthansa Group

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways and Deutsche Lufthansa have expanded upon their leasing and code-share agreement signed last December. At a joint press conference in Abu Dhabi James Hogan, President & CEO Etihad Aviation Group, and Carsten Spohr, Chairman & CEO Lufthansa Group signed agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoU) on catering and aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). The $100 …

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Airlines scramble to change crew rosters after Trump’s travel ban

Emirates cabin crew at the Madrid VIP lounge. Airline photo.

Airlines across the world, particularly the middle eastern and gulf majors scrambled to change their crew rosters to comply with the executive orders passed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, which suspends the entry of citizens of seven nations, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, in to the United States. All crew already need a special visa …

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Etihad Aviation Group CEO James Hogan and CFO Rigney to quit

(Left to right): Maurizio Merlo, CEO Darwin Airline; Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO airberlin; James Hogan, President and CEO Etihad Airways; Cramer Ball, CEO Jet Airways; Dane Kondić, CEO Air Serbia, Manoj Papa, CEO Air Seychelles; at the launch of Etihad Airways Partners.

James Hogan President and CEO of Abu Dhabi based Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) will step down in the second half of 2017. He will be joined by Chief Financial Officer James Rigney. The EAG Board of Directors announced the departures and said a global search for their replacements is underway. Both Hogan and Rigney will join an investment company The …

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Air India announces new flights to Washington DC, Copenhagen, Bangkok

The Air India ramp at Mumbai CSMI Airport. Photo by and copyright Devesh Agarwal.

National carrier Air India has announced it shall start direct flights between New Delhi (DEL) and Washington Dulles (IAD) in July 2017. This flight will be the fifth direct connection with the US and shall be operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft, though the carrier has not specified whether this will be on the 777-200LR or the larger 777-300ER. The …

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Spicejet places record aircraft order on Boeing

L&R Ajay Singh, CMD, Spicejet, Ray Conner, Vice Chairman, Boeing. In the middle Dinesh Keskar, SVP (Sales) for Asia-Pac and India, Boeing.

Indian low fare carrier, Spicejet, has signed a record order with Chicago USA based Boeing for 100 737 MAX 8s thus signalling its resurgence from a near collapse two years ago. The carrier already has a firm order for 55 737 MAX 8s, and it has purchased options for up to 50 additional Boeing aircraft including wide-bodies, which are suspected …

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Air Pegasus to re-commence operations following investment by Flyeasy

Air Pegasus ATR 72-500 VT-APA.

Bangalore based regional airline, Air Pegasus, has issued a statement it has entered into a strategic partnership with start-up airline Flyeasy to revive its operations from March 1, 2017. The airline had suspended operations on June 27, 2016, and the regulator the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended the airline’s operator’s permit in November last year. The statement …

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Record fine assessed on American Airlines for tarmac delays

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has fined American Airlines a record $1.6 million for violating rules prohibiting long tarmac delays. This is the highest fine against an airline for violating the tarmac delay rule, and matches the fine against Southwest Airlines in 2015 Under the DOT rules, U.S. airlines operating aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats are prohibited …

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Amazing videos of Aerosucre Colombia Boeing 727 crash

Aerosucre Boeing 727-200F freighter HK-4465. This image is licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license. Image copyright www.aeroprints.com

An Aerosucre Colombia Boeing 727-200 freighter, registration HK-4544, crashed at Puerto Carreno airport when attempting to take-off. These videos show how the plane does not lift-off the runway, crashes through the fence, struggles to climb, and then crashes a few minutes later. Reports indicate five of the six crew perished. Four at the scene, and one later in the hospital. …

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Eithad Group and Lufthansa Group agree on leasing and code-share pact

Line up of Lufthansa aircraft at the Terminal 2 satellite. Munich Airport Image.

Etihad Airways and Lufthansa German Airlines have agreed to codeshare flights and lease aircraft. Codeshare is where one airline puts its flight code on a flight operated by the other. Lufthansa will place its ‘LH’ airline code on the twice daily flights operated by Etihad Airways (code ‘EY’) between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt and the twice daily flights between Abu …

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Bangalore Aviation named India’s top aviation blog, 11th globally

Bangalore Aviation named as top aviation blog in India

Feedspot, a global RSS blog feed aggregator has named Bangalore Aviation as India’s top aviation blog in its list of ‘Best Aviation Blogs on the Planet‘. Globally, we are ranked at 11, and in illustrious company. The ranking has come totally out of the blue, as we did not even know we were being judged. In 2009, we were on …

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Singapore Airlines adds prem. economy on Houston Machester route with A350

Singapore Airline's India country head David Lau demonstrates the new premium economy seat

Flag carrier Singapore Airlines will upgrade its Singapore Manchester Houston Intercontinental service to its newest aircraft the Airbus A350-900 starting January 17 2017. The airline currently flies a Boeing 777-300ER on the route. The A350 will add a 24 seat premium economy (PE) class on the route while removing the under-used first class. The aircraft will additionally offer a 42 …

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Jet and Delta tie-up JetPrivilege and SkyMiles frequent flyer programs

Three Jet Airways Aircraft standing at Schiphol, Amsterdam Airport on arrival from Mumbai, Delhi and Toronto

Deepening its partnership, India’s Jet Airways has partnered its frequent flier program JetPrivilege with Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles. The two programs has discontinued their partnership in 2012. JetPrivilege members can earn and redeem JPMiles on Delta’s entire network of 323 destinations in 57 countries across six continents, as per the table below. Delta operates over 15,000 flights, daily, from its …

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Emirates’ new Jennifer Aniston advert focuses on all classes not just first

In the past few months, India has been bombarded with an advertising blitz by Dubai-based Emirates airlines, showing off its economy class. What many in India are missing, is the latest edition Emirates advertisement starring Hollywood superstar, Jennifer Aniston. Unlike the earlier 2015 ad which focussed on the first class section of the flagship of the airline, the Airbus A380 …

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Jet Airways leverages partnerships to broaden global network

Jet Airways Airbus A330-300 VT-JWQ. Image copyright Vedant Agarwal.

In 2012, in an exclusive interview with Bangalore Aviation, then Boeing India boss Dr. Dinesh Keskar advocated the need for both national carrier Air India, and India’s largest private airline, Jet Airways, to dramatically scale up their networks to utilise their widebody fleet (Boeing 777s, 787s, Airbus A330s) effectively. (Read the interview here, and Dr. Keskar’s advice is towards the …

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In pictures: Airbus A350-1000 completes maiden flight

Airbus A350-1000 takes off for its first flight at Toulouse Blagnac airport, France November 24, 2016

The first Airbus A350-1000, the longest variant of the A350 family of widebody aircraft performed its first flight, at Toulouse, France, yesterday. The six person crew took MSN059 into the skies at 09:42 UTC. Test pilots Hugues van der Stichel and Frank Chapman, in cockpit flight test engineer Gerard Maisonneuve, flight test engineers Emanuele Costanzo, Patrick du Che, and Stephane …

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Boeing names GE’s Kevin McAllister to succeed Ray Connor, forms services unit

The MAX 8 is sporting the 100 years of Boeing Decal.

US airframer Boeing, has named GE Aviation’s Kevin G. McAllister as president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), to succeed current CEO and company Vice Chairman Ray Conner. The company also formalised a new business unit, Boeing Global Services (BGS) which will be formed from the existing customer services groups within the company’s commercial airplanes and defence, space and …

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Jet Airways to launch Bangalore Singapore flight

Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 VT-JGA.

India’s Jet Airways will operate a daily direct flight between Bangalore and Singapore from December 14, 2016. Flight 9W024 will depart Bengaluru Kempegowda at 11:10 and arrive at Singapore Changi at 18:10. Flight 9W023 will depart Singapore at 19:15 and arrive in Bengaluru at 21:15. The flight will be operated by a narrow body Boeing 737-800. Jet Airways intends to …

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Bangalore airport to close for 2.5 months due to runway exit upgrade

Runway 09 at Kempegowda airport, Bangalore. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

As reported by Bangalore Aviation in mid September, the Kempegowda airport (KIAB) at Bangalore will effectively cease operations during the day for two and a half months, from mid February to end April. As per a NOTAM (NOTice to AirMen) created on September 28, 2016 (received by us today), the sole runway at the airport, 09/27, will close from 10:30 …

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Fastest flights between Bangalore and San Francisco

Bengaluru Kempegowda airport ramp. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission.

Earlier this week, Singapore Airlines launched its non-stop Singapore San Francisco flight, shaving a few hours off their total flight time between the Silicon Plateau of Bangalore (BLR) and the Silicon Valley served by San Francisco (SFO). The San Francisco Bangalore route is one of the most lucrative for the airlines. Even an airline not renowned for their service, Air …

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Qantas updates livery ahead of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner induction

CGI of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in the new Qantas livery.

Australian flag carrier Qantas has given its aircraft livery a subtle modernisation. This includes the iconic Kangaroo logo on the tails of its aircraft. It is only the fifth time the iconic red-and-white ‘roo’ has been updated since its introduction in 1944. Continuing a tradition The livery change continues a tradition at Qantas, of changing its livery whenever a new …

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