Analysis and Features

Questions for the hypocritical Air India cabin crew union

The fact that the cabin crew and their unions are a law unto themselves running roughshod over national carrier Air India is a well known fact. The political power and connections of the crew and its union is demonstrated by the fact that the airline management meekly submits to them, and terminations are practically non-existent even in the most glaring …

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Tech Tuesdays: Fuel planning: How much must you carry?

This article deals with how much fuel an airplane must carry, and why it mustn’t carry too much of it. Safety in aviation is primarily due to enforceable regulations and requirements that provide sufficient safety margins. One such requirement is the minimum fuel to be carried on board the aircraft. How much? Let’s assume a Bangalore – Delhi flight on …

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Video: New airlines to land in India: Good for flyers?

Air India Airbus A321 VT-PPO. Seen here handing in the early morning light at Bangalore Airport.

I had the pleasure of joining industry stalwarts Amber Dubey, Ayaz Memon, Govindraj Ethiraj, and Jitender Bhargava on Boom News’ Google+ India Hangout discussing the impending entry of new airlines AirAsia India and Tata-SIA and their potential impact on the Indian airline industry. Govindraj Ethiraj is a journalist of repute and the moderator. Amber Dubey is the head, aerospace and …

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Lufthansa upgrades Mumbai to 747-8i, expect A380 service to Delhi this winter

Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i D-ABYA at New Delhi Indira Gandhi airport at night.

German flag carrier Lufthansa has announced effective July 15, it will upgrade the existing Boeing 747-400 on the daily Mumbai Frankfurt service, and fly the new Boeing 747-8i. Mumbai will be the third city in India, following New Delhi and Bangalore to receive the newest variant of the legendary Jumbo-jet also called the “queen of the skies.” Lufthansa’s new business …

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Opinion: AirAsia India granted permission, but should wait to commence flights

AirAsia India first Airbus A320 with Sharklets VT-ATF

AirAsia India has been granted its air operating permit (AOP) by India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). AirAsia (India) Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between the Tatas, Telestra, and AirAsia. Commencing the process in April, AirAsia received a no objection certificate (NOC) from the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) in September 2013. As the …

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Tech Tuesday: Proving Flights

AirAsia India first Airbus A320 with Sharklets VT-ATF

In late 2013, India’s civil aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) introduced a Civil Aviation Policy, CAP-3100, in line with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation, pronounced eye-kay-oh) guidelines, to guide an organisation on the steps required to obtain an Air Operator’s Certificate, or an AOP. The AOP is required for an operator to offer air transport services, …

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Tech Tuesday: Aircraft maintenance checks

Celebrating international women's' day an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) technician checks out an F-15 Eagle.

Unlike a land or water based vehicle, an airplane has no means to halt mid air, nor land at any open field, should a snag occur. Keeping the airplane airworthy is of prime importance, recognized by the aviation regulator of each country, mandating checks in the interest of flight safety. Checks, short for maintenance checks, are conducted at intervals specified …

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Infographic – IndiGo fleet operations larger than Malaysia AirAsia

A brief comparison of select Asian low cost carriers shows India’s IndiGo (6E) airline larger than Malaysia’s AirAsia (AK) in terms of fleet operations. While AirAsia as a group is the largest low cost carrier in Asia, when broken up in to its various operating subsidiaries, the largest, Malaysia AirAsia with an airline code of AK has 73 aircraft compared …

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Malaysia Airlines MH370 incident reminds of Air France AF447 crash

Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER 9M-MRL. Sister of 9M-MRO which crashed #MH370 and 9M-MRD which crashed #MH17.

In a case of history repeating itself, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which went missing early on Saturday morning en-route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, and still remains to be located four days later, reminds one of Air France flight AF447 which crashed five years earlier in 2009 while on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. There are significant …

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Etihad Airways announces record profits for fiscal 2013

Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER A6-ETK London Heathrow

On Monday, Middle East Big 3 (MEB3) carrier Etihad Airways announced a record $62 million net profit for 2013, up 47.6% year-over-year (YOY) from $42 million in 2012. The carrier saw total revenue grow 27.1% YOY to $6.1 billion, while expenses rose 26.9% to $6.04 billion. Total capacity as measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs) grew 16.6% YOY while traffic …

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Infographic: User Development Fee charges across Indian airports

User Development Fee (UDF) and Passenger Service Fee (PSF) charges at various Indian airports

The infographic above shows a detail of the User Development Fee (UDF), Airport Development Fee (ADF) now called Development Fee, and the Passenger Service Fee (PSF) charged at various airports across India both privately operated like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, and AAI (Airports Authority of India) run like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Guwahati, Jaipur, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Tiruchirapally, Udaipur, …

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Analysis: FAA downgrades India to Category 2 safety status

by Vinay Bhaskara Earlier this month, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a major downgrade of India鈥檚 aviation safety rating, citing a lack of safety oversight on the part of India鈥檚 Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The downgrade to Category 2 is a significant national embarrassment, and comes after months, if not years, of FAA warnings to …

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Air India operational and financial analysis 2010~2013 with infographics

A tail parade of each of Air India's Boeing aircraft as in 2011. The 747-400, 777-300ER, 777-200LR and 737-800.

In response to a series of questions from law-makers, the Indian civil aviation minister Ajit Singh and his junior minister K.C. Venugopal gave some operational insight to the Indian parliament on national carrier Air India. It was the first time, in recent memory where we obtained some numbers on the otherwise very opaque airline. Air India debt and equity As …

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Jet Airways financial analysis – Q4 FY14

Last week, Mumbai based full service carrier Jet Airways announced that it had recorded a net loss of Rs. 267.89 Crore for the third quarter of fiscal year 2013/14 (FY13/14) or a net pre-tax loss of Rs. 27.12 per diluted share. The result reflects a reversal from a Rs. 85.0 Crore net pretax profit of Rs. 91.78 Crore (Rs. 9.85 …

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Opinion: Air India should prosecute unruly passengers

That Indian politicians and their cohorts make unreasonable demands of the national carrier Air India is a well known fact. But now, it appears this disease is afflicting the common passenger as well. Last week some of the 50 passengers on board Air India’s flight AI-433, a 250km 20 minute hop from Gaya to Varanasi, went on a rampage clashing …

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Analysis: Which airlines will fly their A380s to India?

Last week, the Indian aviation community was abuzz with the news that the government had finally permitted operations of the Airbus A380 in to India. In its announcement, the ministry mentioned Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, and Emirates as potential candidates in operating the aircraft to India, but there are seven other operators of the giant, all of whom, with the exception …

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Opinion: Air India’s Star alliance membership is a precursor to Tata-SIA entry

During his visit to India, Mark Schwab the CEO of the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline grouping, announced that national carrier Air India could join the alliance within the next six months. In a press interaction Schwab said “without giving a specific date, one can say that we will complete all the ground work and formalities of Air India鈥檚 …

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Low fare sale. Indian airlines eat their young to survive

The stampede of cut-throat fares, which commenced Tuesday, when low fare carrier SpiceJet announced up to a 50 percent discount for 30 and 60 day advance purchase fares is reminiscent of 2008 when airlines went berserk on pricing in a mad rush for growth. This time too, almost every carrier including full service Air India, has joined this madness. Credit …

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