Two close-ups of Airbus A320-232 nose gear assemblies of VT-INS and VT-IND. Click on the image for a high resolution view. Thanks to IndiGo airlines. The images are my copyright.

RIM appears to have released v 1.0.0 (Build 75) of the Blackberry Desktop for Mac. Before downloading I suggest you read this article at the San Francisco Chronicle. For more detail on RIM’s new BlackBerry software for Mac, including differences between the Mac and PC version, read “Four Things You Didn’t Know About BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac“. Grab your …

Events of the week have over-taken me and left me with no time to post the return leg story of my Guwahati and Kolkata trip. My apologies. The return flights were smooth but reasonably eventful in other ways. Despite leaving well ahead of time, I got stuck in a traffic jam and barely made it to the airport, thanks to …

One of the most intense searches in Indian aviation history came to a sad end this morning. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, his special secretary P Subramaniam, chief security officer A S C Wesley, pilots Group Capt S K Bhatia and Capt M S Reddy were found dead in the mangled and charred remains of his Bell …

By improving its operational efficiencies, New Delhi based value carrier SpiceJet has introduced four new flights from Mumbai and Bangalore into Dabolim airport serving the state of Goa, one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. SpiceJet has taken its daily departures up from 125 to 129 to capitalise on the upcoming festival and new year season when tourist …

Air India’s latest Boeing 777-300ER VT-ALQ named after the North Eastern state of Manipur was captured by Rick Schlamp as it took off from Boeing Paine field to New Delhi on its delivery flight yesterday. Click on image for a larger view. All rights reserved by Rick Schlamp.

An Indigo Airbus A320-232, VT-INX performing flight 6E-122 from Bangalore to New Delhi with 99 passengers and 6 crew on board, was en-route near Hyderabad, when an engine fire alert activated. The crew decided to divert to Hyderabad, where the airplane landed safely at 18:20. My file photo of VT-INX. Click on image for a larger view. The flight and …

On 27th August I took my first flight to Kolkata in my life. Even I was surprised that I had never been to one India’s largest cities in all my 45 years. My thanks to The Telegraph newspaper who invited me to speak on innovation at the Northeast ICT summit in Guwahati, Assam and making the trip possible. The day …

Dallas-Fort Worth based American Airlines is following the lead of it’s oneworld partner British Airways and reducing the free baggage allowance on it’s international flights. Most economy class passengers traveling by American Airlines (AA) between locations in Europe, India and the US will soon have to pay $50 (Rs 2,450) to check-in a second bag under a revised baggage policy …

Boeing has delivered a 777-300ER (Extended Range) to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in a special chrome-free paint and primer SkyTeam livery which celebrates the alliance’s 10th anniversary. Aircraft registration PH-BVD. Boeing image. Click on image for a high resolution view. Boeing has introduced this chrome-free primer and chrome-free exterior decorative paint in response to environmental requests from various airlines. In …

Jet Airways will launch a daily flight to Hong Kong from India, with daily services on the Delhi-Hong Kong sector using its two class configured Airbus 330-200 aircraft on September 30, 2009. The return flight will commence on October 1, 2009, China National Day marking the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Jet Airways …

This is my first post using my new MacBook Pro. My apologies, but I have been trying to transition from a Windows Vista (arrrgghhh) PC to a MacBook Pro. All I can say, it is not an easy task, but I am not sorry. Thanks to the maniacal dedication of HP who did not provide drivers for Windows XP, I …

Thanks to friends at Airliners-India, we have managed to secure highlights of Air India’s turnaround plan as it proposed to be presented to the government. In a very straight forward approach, reflective of the work culture of Chairman and Managing Director Mr. Arvind Jadhav, the report does not pull any punches. As an example — fleet acquisition. It is well …

From the first time I met him, I have always admired him. Arvind Jadhav is a tough, no-nonsense, go getter — a rare quality in a government bureaucrat anywhere in the world, but exceedingly rare in India. He was identified as the man to head Air India even at a time when the venerable Mr. V. Thulasidas was in contention. …

With the recent spate of crashes, air safety has been brought to the fore on the web. Debates are roaring about who is better and safer — Boeing or Airbus. Randy Tinseth, vice president, marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes says it best. All commercial airplanes, whether designed and manufactured by Boeing or another company, must meet the same stringent safety …

Continental Airlines has announced that it should join Star Alliance on October 27, 2009. Continental will end its participation in SkyTeam after its last scheduled flight on Oct. 24, 2009. Continental’s transition from SkyTeam to Star Alliance is a strategic change, originally announced in June 2008. Continental’s OnePass members do not need to make any changes to their OnePass accounts …

Southwest Airlines is offering its passengers additional discounts with airfares starting at $59 one-way to select destinations nationwide. Fares must be purchased by Sept. 3, 2009, and are available for travel everyday except Fridays and Sundays from Sept. 9, 2009, through Jan. 7, 2010. Examples of fares include (see Additional Fare Rules below): $59 one-way between Las Vegas and Phoenix …

As a youth, I fascinated by this production on national integration by India’s state owned broadcaster Doordarshan. Titled “Mile Sur Tumhara Mera toh sur bane hamara” – if your tune matches mine, the melody is ours. This video launched the “Mera Bharat Mahan” (My India is great) campaign on Independence Day 1988 and has become an anthem showcasing Unity in …

On the eve of India’s Independence Day, the Indian Air Force’s multi-billion dollar medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) procurement moved up a stage this evening. A pair of the first of the contenders — the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet arrived at Bangalore’s HAL Airport for the technical evaluations, along with their mother ship the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 Omega Tanker. The …

Under pressure from domestic carriers it appears that the Government has grounded the India plans of FlyDubai, the low-cost airline floated by the Al-Maktoum royal family of Dubai. The airline had sought permission for flights to Chandigarh, Coimbatore and Lucknow with tourist destinations like Goa to be added later. Obviously this has made the Ministry of Civil Aviation re-think it’s …