Bangalore Aviation News, Reviews, Analysis and opinions of Indian Aviation
-Click on any of the graphs for a larger view Even as India’s overall domestic passenger traffic in July fell to 5.25 million passengers down about 8% from 5.69 million in June, data released by the civil aviation regulator, the DGCA, shows budget carrier Spicejet Ltd. was the only large airline which grew its traffic while the rest of its …
Read More »Tag Archives: Air India
Another demonstration of why the government should not run Air India
A report in The Financial Express discusses a 26-point missive sent to national carrier Air India by its boss, the minister of civil aviation Mr. Ashok Gajapathi Raju. Official termed “guidelines” these are practically a diktat. These guidelines were sent after reports of serious concerns at the Star Alliance, the world’s largest grouping of airlines which Air India joined just …
Read More »We salute the brave flying by Air India pilots after engine failure
The Daily News & Analysis (DNA) newspaper must be complemented for its report on the bird-strike incident involving Air India Boeing 777-300ER VT-ALR Meghalaya as it performed flight AI144 from Newark to Mumbai on July 13, 2014. It is well written, considering its reader base is technically unaware of aviation intricacies. Very special kudos to the flight crew of Niranjan …
Read More »Air India joins the Star Alliance
A long chased ambition of the national carrier came to fruition on July 11, as it was inducted as the 27th member of the Star Alliance. It is the first Indian carrier to join a global alliance of airlines. The first from the sub-continent is SriLankan Airlines which joined the oneworld alliance. The airline decorated one its older Airbus A320s, …
Read More »Air India to get Rs.6,500 crore bailout this year
National carrier Air India will receive a total of Rs.6,500 crore (about $1.08 billion) financial bail-out this year. The tax-payer funded bailout is part of a package exceeding Rs. 30,000 crore (about $6 billion at the time) approved in April 2012 and to be completed over nine years. In his maiden budget budget yesterday, the finance minister Arun Jaitley proposed …
Read More »Air India offers customised in-flight premium class meals
As the national carrier Air India enters the Star Alliance tomorrow, the airline along with its in-flight caterer TajSATS, will upgrade its in-flight meal service for its premium class passengers, with a new concept called ‘table set-up’. The service will be available for first and business class passengers of Air India on select domestic and international routes. The new concept …
Read More »Kudos to Air India and crew for braving obstacles and rescuing nurses from Iraq
A report in The Times of India details the courage of Air India and its crew in its recent mission last week to rescue Indian nurses held captive by terrorists in Iraq. The rescue flight was assigned flight number AI161 and would be performed by a Boeing 777-200LR VT-ALF Jharkhand which was kept ready while diplomatic parleys were conducted. The …
Read More »Through the lens: Delhi after dark – part 1
Last month, we had the opportunity to shoot on the airside at Delhi International Airport (DIAL) at night. Like most of the major Indian airports, the night in Delhi brings with it a host of international traffic, most of which are wide bodies, which offers a great number of interesting photo opportunities. First up is a Dreamliner of Air India, …
Read More »Benefits Air India and passengers can expect from Star membership
As Air India joins the world’s largest grouping of airlines, the Star Alliance, as its 27th member on July 11, 2014, there will be benefits that will be enjoyed by both the airline and passengers. The alliance currently has 26 member airlines from all continents, except Antarctica and carried 637.62 million passengers last year. African member airlines are: EgyptAir MS, …
Read More »Air India finally cleared to join the Star Alliance as 27th member airline
After years of trying and suffering the ignominy of being the only airline whose membership process was suspended, national carrier Air India was approved for membership of the world’s largest airline grouping, the Star Alliance. The final integration processes by teams at Air India, the Star alliance and its member carriers will be completed so that the first Indian carrier …
Read More »29th anniversary of Air India Emperor Kanishka bombing today
![Air India Boeing 747 VT-EFO Emperor Kanishka at London Heathrow. Photo taken on 10-June-1985 just 13 days before its bombing. Photo by Ian Kirby (Ian Kirby as seen on airliners.net) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.bangaloreaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Kanishka_1985-06-10_VT-EFO_Air_India_EGLL-272x125.jpg)
Twenty-nine years ago today, June 23, 1985, a air bombing that shook the world and introduced stringent security checks on checked-in luggage. Air India Boeing 747-237B c/n 21473 line 330, registration VT-EFO and named Emperor Kanishka was operating flight AI182 on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. In the early hours of the morning, as the aircraft approached Ireland at an altitude of …
Read More »Air India and Hong Kong Airlines sign code-share agreement
National carrier Air India (AI) has signed a code-share arrangement with Hong Kong Airlines (HX) under which the latter will place its flight codes on Air India’s flights between New Delhi and Hong Kong and between Hong Kong and Osaka Kansai, Japan and Seoul Incheon, Korea. The code-share flight will be effective on June 10th for the flights between Delhi …
Read More »Five aircraft damaged and one person killed in Delhi airport storm
A violent storm that hit New Delhi left a trail of destruction and death at the city’s Indira Gandhi airport earlier this afternoon. As per information received, one person lost their life and at least two other have sustained critical injuries including loss of a limb(s) in a sudden storm that occurred around 5pm in the afternoon. Wind of about …
Read More »Analysis: Air India misses turnaround targets by 25%, posts Rs.5000 crore loss
As per a report in The Economic Times, national carrier Air India has missed its financial performance targets by a huge margin. The airline agreed to these targets with the government in order to receive a whopping Rs.30,000 crore ($6 billion at the time) tax-payer funded bailout. The national carrier already saddled with debts exceeding Rs.40,000 crore ($6.8 billion) has …
Read More »Tech Tuesdays: Are Boeing 777-200LRs “fuel guzzlers”?
Air India ordered for eight Boeing 777-200LRs in 2005, along with 15 Boeing 777-300ERs. The first 777-200LR arrived in the July of 2007, and all eight were delivered by end of August, 2009. Barely six and a half years later, the first five Boeing 777s have been sold to Etihad, at a “throwaway” price, because Air India felt that the …
Read More »Air India officials want minister to do their jobs
Virtually everyone in the industry, including Air Indians, complain about the excessive interference by the ministry in the day-to-day operational issues of the airline instead of focussing on broad-based industry oriented issues like a comprehensive civil aviation policy or a strong regulator which would have prevented India’s safety status be downgraded, etc. Yet, going by a media report in The …
Read More »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 …
Read More »Airbus celebrates 40th anniversary of world’s first twin-engined widebody aircraft
May 10, 1974, European airframer Airbus Industrie delivered to launch customer Air France, the world’s first twin-engined wide-body commercial jetliner, the A300. The delivery was also the very first delivery of an aircraft by the fledgling manufacturer. At a time when wide-body meant three or four engines, Airbus took the risk of developing a two engined widebody aircraft. To reduce …
Read More »Video: New airlines to land in India: Good for flyers?
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 …
Read More »Air India to commence Delhi to Rome and Milan flights
National carrier Air India is finally starting its long expected flights between New Delhi (Indira Gandhi airport) and Rome (Fiumicino, Leonardo da Vinci airport) and Milan (Malpensa airport). The flights will be operated triangular routing using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in a two class configuration with 18 business class seats and 238 economy class. Effective June 6, 2014: On Tuesdays, …
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