Bangalore Aviation News, Reviews, Analysis and opinions of Indian Aviation

US low cost carrier Southwest Airlines has released some of the details of the planned initial utilization of their new fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Southwest’s first two 737-800s (out of 73 that were ordered), will enter service on April 11, 2012. These aircraft will come equipped with the new Boeing Sky Interior that features larger windows, mood lighting, and …

SouthEast Asian low cost carrier AirAsia taken added the 100th Airbus A320 narrowbody aircraft to its fleet. The aircraft, registration 9M-AQH has been painted with a special dragon livery in celebration of the current Chinese Year of the Dragon, which is also that of AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, and coincidentally myself. A team of 20 painters used 600 litres of …

German carrier, airberlin will become a full member of the oneworld® alliance with effect from Tuesday 20 March 2012. Austrian airline NIKI, also a member of the airberlin group, will join oneworld at the same time as an affiliate member. airberlin received its green light to board oneworld after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness conducted by British …

Three human shaped RC planes were flown around New York City by aero enthusiasts to create the illusion of people flying. It is truly worth spending the two and half minutes to watch. If you like the music, the track is “Unstoppable 2” by Tom Quick which you can get here.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that full year 2011 passenger demand rose 5.9% compared to 2010, in line with long-term growth trends. In contrast, cargo markets contracted by 0.7% for the year. Growth in demand lagged behind capacity increases at 6.3% for passenger and 4.1% for cargo putting downward pressure on load factors and fares. The average passenger …

Vinay Bhaskara and Devesh Agarwal When Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X announced last week that it would be ending service to Mumbai, Delhi, London, and Paris earlier this month, industry analysts seized on the occurrence as a repudiation of the long haul, low-cost business model. AirAsia X, an offshoot of Southeast Asian behemoth AirAsia, operated 377 seat Airbus A330-300s to …

One of the largest military contracts in the world, the Indian Air Force’s competition for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) appears to have been decided in favour of the French airframer Dassault’s Rafale, though there is no official confirmation. Sources indicate the Rafale has been selected over the Eurofighter Typhoon from European competitor EADS for a contract estimated at …

According to numerous reports at various travel sites, US carrier American Airlines will be ending flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, while simultaneously resuming flights between JFK and Tokyo’s other airport, commonly known as Haneda. Indeed, inventory on AA.com reflects these changes, as do other booking engines. Flights to Haneda will …

Some depressing photos to commence the week of three Kingfisher Airline’s Airbus aircraft VT-KFR, VT-KFW, and VT-VJO lying grounded, getting stripped of parts and engines, and slowly decaying at Indian airports, While one can understand the business strategy of Kingfisher of reducing costs and performing fire-fighting cost-cutting, it is depressing to see these beautiful aircraft being canibalised like this. Sources …

As we come to the close of January 2012, we feel that it is time to look back at the successful month enjoyed by both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)from an aircraft orders perspective. Airbus Net Orders: 102 A320neo: 100 (Norwegian- 100)A330-200F: 2 (Etihad Airways-2) Airbus also firmed up orders from Latin American carriers Volaris and Avianca/TACA for 44 (30 neo, …

Late last week, San Francisco based Virgin America announced their latest destination, Philadelphia, which will be served from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Flights will begin in April with two daily flights from LA and one from San Francisco, and will increase to 3 and two daily flights respectively. Schedules for the new routes are as follow: (via airlineroute) Los …

Olso based, Norwegian Air Shuttle, one of the largest operators of the Boeing 737, has given the US airframer its first European order for the new 737 MAX airplane. Norwegian and Boeing have announced a firm order for 100 fuel-efficient 737 MAX airplanes and 22 Next-Generation 737-800s. The total order is valued at $11.4 billion at list prices and represents …

Qatar Airways is opening its new Premium Lounge at London Heathrow this week. The Premium Lounge at Terminal 4 will be the airline’s first dedicated facility outside its Doha hub, underscoring London’s importance as a destination for the airline which will commence its fifth daily service from March 25. Lounge access will be restricted to the airline’s First and Business …

Over the weekend, it broke that Middle Eastern behemoth Turkish Airlines was in negotiations to acquire a controlling stake in Poland’s national carrier, LOT Polish Airlines. Hamdi Topcu, Turkish chairman, said: “We are starting negotiations to buy LOT. It should be a win-win situation for both sides.” LOT operates a fleet of 56 aircraft to 92 destinations around the globe, …

For the third year in succession low fare carrier SpiceJet has sponsored a plane spotting contest via its Facebook page. In fact SpiceJet still remains the only Indian airline promoting such a contest. This year, Bangalore Aviation editor and photographer, Devesh Agarwal’s photograph of SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 VT-SPJ taking off from Mumbai’s runway 09 at sunset, was adjudged to have …

After falling to an unprecedented pretax loss of $226 in the third quarter of 2011, Dallas based Southwest Airlines once again returned to net profitability, earning $152 million, or 20 cents per diluted share. Revenue grew 32% to $4.1 billion, while operating expenses grew 37% (with fuel and related expenses jumping 59) (All figures vs. Q4 2011. Southwest’s performance beat …

When new Indian civil aviation Minister Ajit Singh announced that the national government would soon begin the process of allowing 49% foreign direct investment (FDI) by international carriers into India’s airlines Tuesday, India’s flailing airline industry breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Following a 75 minute meeting with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, Singh stated, “the question was to allow foreign …

On Tuesday, Southwest Airlines announced a series of changes to its interior, including the addition of 6 seats to their 737-700 aircraft and a reduction in seat pitch offset by a decrease in recline. The new cabin also features, “recyclable carpet, a brighter color-scheme, and a more durable, eco-friendly, and comfortable low-profile seat that weighs less than the current seat.” …

Seattle based Alaska Airlines has announced new service via Horizon Air for the summer of 2012. All flights mentioned below will operate on Horizon’s Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 equipment. They are adding “daily nonstop service from San Diego to Monterey and Santa Rosa, and twice-daily service to Fresno. Two daily flights between San Jose and Reno are also being added …