Vinamra Longani

Analysis: What prompted Virgin Atlantic to launch flights from Manchester to New Delhi?

Britain’s other major carrier, Virgin Atlantic, rather unexpectedly, announced a seasonal, thrice-weekly service between Manchester and New Delhi starting Winter 2020. The new service will begin from the 26th of October 2020 operating on Monday, Thursday and Saturday on an ex-Air Berlin A330-200 aircraft. Virgin Atlantic added four of these aircraft to its fleet starting March 2018 to deal with …

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Low Cost Long Haul: Can Indigo succeed where so many have failed?

IndiGo Airbus A320-232(SL) VT-IFK with Sharklets.

India largest and most profitable airline, IndiGo’s CEO Ronojoy Dutta has gone on record recently about the low-cost airline “actively studying” long haul flights to London on widebody aircraft. This statement coming from an airline which for the longest time stuck to a single fleet strategy, until it added ATR aircraft for regional flights, has left some perplexed. Dutta also …

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Analysis: Virgin Atlantic’s India Expansion

Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 G-VNEW. Boeing Image.

Virgin Atlantic made its India debut in July 2000 when the airline launched its flight to India’s capital, New Delhi. Back then, Virgin Atlantic was a boutique airline fuelled by the ambitions of a maverick entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson.  A lot has changed since then. Today, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is a minority shareholder (20%) in the airline with …

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Analysis: What to expect when Indigo meets Qatar Airways

Indigo Airbus A320neo VT-ITC. Copyrighted image. Re-use prohibited.

IndiGo, India’s largest and most successful airline and the blockaded Gulf carrier, Qatar Airways will make a strategic business announcement today in New Delhi. There has been a fair amount of speculation around the two airlines and an alleged ‘deal’ for a while. Al-Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways has on more than one occasion shown intertest in IndiGo. So much …

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The great Indian aviation paradox – low fares fueled by unsustainable capacity

Domestic ramp at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji airport. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal.

A robust aviation industry is essential for any nation to grow and prosper. Airlines connect businesses and people both nationwide and globally. Air transport is essential for global trade, helps bring in much needed forex from tourism, provides global access to local produce and creates jobs. The economic impact and benefits of this one industry overshadow many others. Historically, air …

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Spicejet Q1 FY20 results – The 114.1 crore conundrum

SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 Dash 8 VT-SUB lands at Kempegowda airport Bangalore. Photo by Vedant Agarwal. All rights reserved.

SpiceJet reported their Q1FY20 earnings this Friday. A profit was expected but the quantum of the profit surprised several analysts. The airline reported a net profit of INR 261.7 crore and total income of INR 3,145.3 crore for the quarter ending June 2019 as against a loss of INR 38.1 crore and INR 2,253.3 crore for the corresponding quarter last …

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Feature: Lessons in customer service from Jet Airways and Vistara

The current crew uniform of Tata SIA Airlines. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission.

Flying has captured the imagination of the human mind for centuries. Way before the Wright Brothers gave us wings. What was once considered a luxury is now the means to an end for over 8 million people everyday. The advent of Low Cost airlines has stripped flying of its frills and made it even more accessible. Yet, boarding an aircraft …

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