2008 was the year reality struck home in the Indian airline industry. One whiff of the downturn exposed the lack of robust business planning, and abundance of financial vulnerability of Indian carriers, leaving all of them battered and bruised, some more than others. We saw mass-scale defaulting on payments by carriers in India to everyone from airports to aircraft manufacturers. …

For today only, value airline JetBlue Airways is offering seats on sale for just $14 each way on non-stop flights between San Francisco International Airport and both New York City/JFK and Los Angeles/Long Beach for travel from today through April 8, 2009. The $14 fares to/from San Francisco are available until 11:59 p.m. MDT today, April 2, 2009, or until …

Call it post 26/11 jitters, but an quick reacting flight attendant and under-cover commandos caused a security flap and high drama at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. An Air India Airbus A320-200, IC-401 from New Delhi to Kolkata with 104 people on board, was lined up awaiting clearance for take-off when a woman passenger, an off duty flight attendant …

In repeat incident, another Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma helicopter, this one operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters, has crashed off the north east coast of Scotland in the North Sea with 16 on board. Unlike the last time, when all persons on board survived, this time it appears 10 persons have lost their lives. The Coastguards says the incident happened about …

Austrian Airlines’ Boeing 767-300ER registration OE-LAE became the first European airline aircraft to successfully convert and add winglets. This following American Airlines successful conversion and implementation of the blended winglets made by Aviation Partners Boeing. Austrian Airlines is in a pioneering position since its committed to the conversion at an early stage, and will now enjoy “clear competitive advantage over …

Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) has beaten four other competing airports in the Indian sub-continent and bagged the Routes Asia Airport Marketing award from its customers — the airlines. Congratulations to Marcel Hungerbuehler and his team, most especially Ashutosh Chandra who leads airline marketing efforts at BIAL. The airlines within Asia nominated five airports whose marketing efforts during 2009 made a …

A Jetlite Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SJH performing flight S2-320 from Kolkata to New Delhi with 140 persons on board, was forced to make three landing attempts due to weather and a fault Instrument Landing System at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The flight was on approach to New Delhi’s runway 29, when a thunderstorm went into its final approach …

The new domestic departure terminal 1D at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) at New Delhi will commence operations in two phases from April 11 and April 18. With the exception of Go Air, all airlines from the old departure terminal 1B will move to terminal 1D, along with Kingfisher Airlines who will shift from terminal 1A. Go Air will …