by Devesh Agarwal The fleet of six Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners of state-owned national carrier Air India has been grounded by the country’s aviation regulator the DGCA, which took this decision following the issue of an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the regulator in the country of manufacture, and also the certifying body of the …

by Vinay Bhaskara Earlier today, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all flights of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the United States due to the recent issues with the Lithium-Ion batteries on-board several different 787s, which are attributed as the cause for the recent fire of the engine of a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston as well as several …

by Devesh Agarwal National carrier Air India has stood by the six Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet, even as safety concerns grounded the 787 fleet at the first two operators of the aircraft, both from Japan, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL). Between the two of them, ANA and JAL operate almost 50% of the global 787 …

by Vinay Bhaskara Earlier this week, Tempe based US Airways announced several upgrades to its on-board product including the following (as per a report from Inflight Weekly): US Airways Domestic First Class – Image credit – US Airways A new look and branding for the domestic First Class meal tray New china for domestic First Class to align with the …

by Devesh Agarwal Gurgaon based IndiGo will commence a daily service between Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and Dubai from March 1, 2013. 6E 038 will depart Thiruvananthapuram 18:20 arrive Dubai 21:156E 037 will depart Dubai 11:25 arrive Thiruvananthapuram 17:15 On the same day the carrier will commence its second daily flight between Mumbai and Dubai. 6E 063 will depart Mumbai …

by Devesh Agarwal Doha based Qatar Airways denied any interest in investing in any carrier in India at present. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said “Qatar Airways categorically denies it is interested in investing in Spicejet or any other Indian airline. This is pure speculation by individuals who deliberately want to spread such unfounded rumours to raise …

by Vinay Bhaskara As promised, here is the second part of Indian Aviation’s 2012 review, with an airline by airline analysis of the events in 2012. Air India 2012 was another banner year in Air India’s agonizingly slow death spiral. Whether it was yet more labor turmoil related to the still not completed merger with Indian Airlines, a botched Entry …

Earlier today, Air India announced that it was adding a second daily flight in the afternoon (complementing the existing overnight) between Chennai and Singapore utilizing a 279 seat Airbus A330-200 widebody aircraft in a 2 class configuration (24J/255Y). The move comes soon after low cost carrier IndiGo ended its flights from Mumbai to Singapore, and replaced them with flights from …

by Devesh Agarwal National carrier Air India, became the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner operator to commence scheduled commercial services to Paris, Charles De Gaulle (Roissy) airport earlier today. AI-143 will depart Delhi at 13:10 daily, arrive Paris, at 18:05.AI-142, will depart Paris 21:30, arrive Delhi at 10:10 the next day. Air India is gradually expanding operations of its Boeing 787 …

NTSB INVESTIGATORS LOOKING INTO BOEING 787 SMOKE EVENT IN BOSTON Jan. 7, 2013 WASHINGTON– Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are gathering information regarding reports of smoke aboard a Boeing 787 at Boston’s Logan Airport today. The Japan Airlines 787 was on the ground and empty of passengers at the time of the incident. The NTSB has dispatched an …

by Vinay BhaskaraThis is part 1 of our 2012 review of Indian aviation. Part 2 will come next week with a carrier by carrier review of  2012 in Indian aviation. When the story of Indian commercial aviation in 2012 is told, the overarching narrative across almost the entire industry will be one of cautious optimism (though Kingfisher Airlines obviously belies this …

by Devesh Agarwal Austrian carrier InterSky has taken delivery of their first ATR 72-600 aircraft ordered in 2012. This is also the first ATR aircraft that will fly in the livery of an Austrian airline. The second ATR 72-600 ordered by InterSky is scheduled for delivery in March this year. The new aircraft was welcomed this morning at Friedrichshafen Airport, …

by Devesh Agarwal Airbus Military has confirmed that it has been selected by the Government of India as the preferred bidder to supply its A330 MRTT Multi Role Tanker Transport to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The decision follows a lengthy and thorough selection process including the completion of extensive flight demonstrations in India by the A330 MRTT during which …

Japan Airlines (JAL) will be introducing the award-winning Miyazaki beef in its in-flight meals for First Class on international routes from Tokyo (Narita) to Europe and North America between January 9 and March 31, 2013, to commemorate the launch of JAL Sky Suite 777 – the airline’s latest cabin product on its 777-300ERs. Produced in Miyazaki Prefecture situated in the …

Richard Branson promoted Virgin Atlantic Airways has appointed Craig Kreeger, 53, as its new Chief Executive from February 1, succeeding Steve Ridgway, who is retiring. Kreeger joins Virgin from Dallas based American Airlines (AA), where he has held a 27-year career spanning commercial, financial and strategic roles. Kreeger, a graduate of the University of California in San Diego (UCSD) and …

As I was returning to Bangalore on Saturday, I spotted this very unusual aircraft at the ramp across the passenger terminal at Mumbai CSI airport, an Antonov An-74-TK-100. UR-CKC belongs to Cavok Air, a Ukranian cargo operator. The striking feature of this aircraft is the overwing engines which are used to perform short take-off and landings by using the Coandă …

by Vinay Bhaskara Here is an overview of my flights taken this year, categorized by airline and route flown. Aircraft types are marked, as are any trips in Premium cabins. Flights Taken Southwest Airlines: Newark – Chicago Midway – Newark (Boeing 737-700) Delta Air Lines: New York La Guardia – Miami – New York La Guardia (McDonnell Douglas MD-88/Airbus A320) …