Tag Archives: slider

Air India wants 2400 crores more, the bleeding continues

Air India Boeing 747-400 VT-ESP Ajanta. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal.

After a loss of 8,556 crores in FY19, the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India has indicated that the airline needs a sovereign guarantee of 2400 crores to fund ongoing operations. The airline continues to bleed cash at an alarming rate. Capacity woes continue and estimates indicate that twenty-two aircraft are grounded. On the costs side, there have …

Read More »

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 …

Read More »

BIAL to begin limited operations on new runway from 5 December

Bangalore airport will begin limited operations on the new south parallel runway (NSPR) from 5 December 2019. The runway will begin operations with a single cross taxiway in operation, a BIAL spokesperson told BangaloreAviation. “The South Runway will start with limited operations on December 5, 2019. Operations will commence with one of the two crossfield taxiways connected. The second taxiway …

Read More »

Analysis: Are the SpiceJet Q2FY20 results being underplayed?

SpiceJet, now India’s second-largest domestic airline, reported its second-quarter results of the fiscal year 2019-2020 (Q2FY20) this Wednesday. It was a result that was met with mixed expectations and also one that seems to be underplayed. We attempt to present an analysis that may help deconstruct the figures. The focus has been on a net loss of INR 462 crores …

Read More »

10 tips to make your winter fog travel easier

Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400F 9V-SFQ in fog at Bangalore Kempegowda airport

Early morning fog is the bane of the Indian air passenger, especially at Bangalore and New Delhi airports. It disrupts schedules and leads to aggravation, quarrels, shouting, and general ill-will not just for passengers but also airlines, airports, and all their staff and stakeholders. Here are some tips that should help you avoid the disruption and hopefully keep your blood …

Read More »

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 …

Read More »

IndiGo’s soaring GTF engine problems

Indigo Airbus A320neo VT-ITC. Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1127 Geared Turbo Fan engine. Copyrighted image. Re-use prohibited.

India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed both Indigo and GoAir to replace at least one of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbo-fan (GTF) engines on the A320neo aircraft within the next fifteen days. This comes after Indigo reported a series of incidents involving in-flight engine shutdowns (occurred on the 24th, 25th and 26th …

Read More »

Indigo Q2FY20 results: clear air turbulence or something more?

Indigo Airbus A320neo VT-ITK. Image copyright Vedant Agarwal.

Indigo reported its Q2FY20 results on Friday. With a loss of 1,062 crores, the results caught many by surprise. It is too early to tell whether the results reflect challenges with the strategic direction the airline is taking (compare this to the profit of INR 1203 crore in Q1FY20) or if this was a one-off driven largely driven by operational …

Read More »

Should India feed its citizens or prop up Air India?

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

India leads the world in hungry people. In the recently released Global Hunger Index, India dropped to rank 102 out of 117 countries, placing it below its impoverished neighbours Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. About 15% of India’s population is either malnourished or undernourished. About 194 million Indians go hungry each day, and regretably a large percentage are children. The government …

Read More »

First picture of Vistara’s 787 in full livery. May be delivered earlier than expected.

In July of last year, Vistara (Tata-SIA) placed an order for six Boeing 787-9’s with an additional four options. These aircraft were scheduled for delivery in early 2020, which would have likely seen the airline launch long haul flights in the first half of 2020. However, it appears that the airline may now be getting its first aircraft earlier than …

Read More »

Demystifying the Air India Asset Holdings bond offering

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

As the government preps Air India for divestment, a key element of the plan is the reduction of the debt burden. The goal is to make the airline a better proposition for buyers. The debt reduction has been carried out by creating a special purpose vehicle (SPV) named Air India Asset Holdings Ltd (AIAHL) and moving half of the debt …

Read More »

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 …

Read More »

Ultra-long haul flying: will Qantas succeed?

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

The recent announcement by Qantas regarding the 21 hour test flight has generated a lot of buzz. For the aviation industry the age of ultra-long haul flying (ULH) is here. Several flights are already operational, the most noteworthy being Perth – Heathrow, Singapore-Newark, Doha-Auckland and the very ambitious “Project Sunrise” of Qantas. The project is Qantas’ ambition to operate nonstop …

Read More »

India’s cities and the need for multi-airport systems

Renovated T2 at New Delhi IGI airport

Airports are strategic assets for any country. As airport impact growth and connectivity impacts that lend themselves to improving tourism, trade, technology, transport and talent. Consider India’s lacklustre trade figures – currently at 1.2 percent of global trade; innovation – where no Indian university lists amongst the top twenty globally; and slowing economic growth. As policymakers and economists rush to …

Read More »

The engines that power Indian aviation

The CFM LEAP engine powering the retro livery Tata SIA Airlines Vistara Airbus A320neo. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission.

Indian aviation has been on a growth path. With demand growing by leaps and bounds, the number of aircraft in the skies has soared. And the growth is likely to continue. These aircraft are faster, more efficient and more advanced than ever before and much of this efficiency is by virtue of the engines. Each aircraft is powered by specific …

Read More »

Airlines hogging bilateral rights as a means to delay competition

IndiGo first A320neo VT-ITC receives the traditional water cannon welcome from the IGI airport ARFF team

Indian airlines are in a rush to start international services – or so we are made to believe. BangaloreAviation recently reviewed the bilateral rights applied for against what airlines have started. Route choices clearly emerged although experts indicate that there’s a fair amount of posturing involved. That is, airlines will often ask for routes they know they will not fly …

Read More »

Protests shut down Hong Kong airport from 6PM

The protests in Hong Kong have been covered all over the news for the last few weeks. Today is the fourth day of what was originally supposed to be a three day airport protest. Till now the protests have generally not affected the city’s aviation, today however the protests have caused the shut down of Hong Kong International airport. Extremely …

Read More »

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 …

Read More »

Lufthansa to begin Bangalore – Munich flights

Lufthansa A350-900. Image courtesy airline.

German flag carrier Lufthansa has announced that it will begin operating direct flights between Munich and Bangalore from 31 March 2020. The flight will be operated five times weekly by an Airbus A350-900. The airline already operates a daily flight to Bangalore from Frankfurt using the Boeing 747-8i.   On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the flight will take …

Read More »

Tata-SIA Vistara to commence New Delhi Bangkok flights

Vistara's first Airbus A320neo VT-TNB on its maiden commercial flight.

The Tata-Singapore Airlines joint-venture Vistara will commence daily flights on the New Delhi Bangkok sector from August 27, 2019. Bangkok is the third international destination for the airline. It commenced flights to Singapore today, and will commence flights between Mumbai and Dubai on August 21st. Like it Mumbai Dubai flights, Vistara will use its three-class Airbus A320neo on the Bangkok …

Read More »
+OK