Qatar Airways, if offering exclusive savings to the debit and credit cardholders of Kotak Bank India. Card members can save up to 15% savings in Business Class and up to 10% in Economy Class. Members can make bookings online at www.qatarairways.com/in-kotak with payment using their debit and credit cards. The offer is valid for sale until 30 June 2013 and …

Turkish Airlines has finalized a firm order on US airframer Boeing for 40 737 MAX 8s, 10 737 MAX 9s and 20 Next-Generation 737-800 jets, valued at $6.9 billion at list prices. The order, originally announced as a commitment last month, also includes options for an additional 25 737 MAX 8s and is the largest Boeing order in Turkish Airlines’ …

By Oussama Salah, Vinay Bhaskara, and Devesh Agarwal Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal The Indian government often makes curious decisions in setting aviation policy. For example, it encouraged Air India to lower prices to gain market share, causing mayhem in the market place and increasing Air India’s losses. It also recently  allowed Air Asia to expand in India by approving a …

Jet Airways and JetKonnect have effectively hiked their fares by Rs. 1,250 by reducing the economy class free baggage allowance from 20 kilos to 15 kilos on all domestic flights within India, effective May 15, 2013. Cabin baggage will be restricted to seven kilos, against a national norm of eight kilos. Frequent flyers who are JetPrivilege elite status members, (Platinum/Gold/Silver), …

Last year, oneworld member Finnair teamed up with Finnish design and fashion house Marimekko. All Finnair aircraft will feature a Marimekko for Finnair collection of textiles and tableware, featuring Marimekko’s classic patterns which are specially designed to add a light and fresh visual and tactile dimension to the onboard experience. On of the first prints to be used was the …

by Devesh Agarwal Jet’s A330 fleet is expected to be deployed to Abu Dhabi The 24% stake sale by Jet Airways to Abu Dhabi owned and based Etihad Airways is a bonanza for both the airlines. For Jet Airways it gets a significant amount of cash it desperately needs to reduce part of its massive two billion dollar debt, since …

Major route announcements came from 2 Middle Eastern carriers yesterday, with Qatar Airways announcing plans to start new services to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (as well as Addis Ababa and Clark in the Philippines) and newly minted Jet Airways partner Etihad Airways revealing an up-gauge in capacity on its daily Abu Dhabi-New York JFK services to a Boeing 777-300ER. For Qatar …

by Devesh Agarwal Image courtesy Wikipedia CFM International announced that it has completed design freeze, i.e. freezing the design and engine configuration, for the LEAP-1B, the exclusive engine for the Boeing 737 MAX. LEAP is an acronym for “Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion”. The company expects the first full engine to test by mid 2014. CFM International, is a 50/50 joint …

JAL 787 at New Delhi prior to grounding The Japan Airlines (JAL) Group has announced its plans for flights and a phased re-introduction of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in to service around June 1, 2013. The airline has set up a 787 dedicated micro-site on its website to explain the 787 fixes. A new daily 787 non-stop service between Tokyo …

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental airport (IATA: IAH) is undergoing severe disruptions, as officials have effectively sealed up Terminal B after a fatal shooting earlier today. The Houston Police report on its Facebook page says The armed suspect in the airport incident has died from his injuries. He entered Terminal B and fired at least one shot in the air. A …

While Delhi’s IGI airport is India’s biggest, arguably the busiest is Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). The $2 billion Mumbai Airport Expansion project is one of India’s most ambitious undertakings ever and uses some extremely innovative construction techniques to overcome problems, bottlenecks, and even local sentiments. From Discovery Channel’s Build It Bigger programme, watch the making of CSIA’s Terminal …

The Fachhochschule Frankfurt am Main (FH FFM) in collaboration with the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), head-quartered in Dehradun has launched a course offering an MBA in aviation management. 28 students have taken up their studies in programme launched in Indian aviation’s metro hubs Delhi and Mumbai. EU to India ambassador – Mr. João Cravinho lighting the inaugural …

We hear of drunk passengers threatening to open the door mid-flight, and we have occasionally seen Hollywood or Bollywood showing the door of a plane opening mid-flight. It is just not possible to do such a thing. Below is a video showing the operations of the door of a Boeing 737 aircraft. Observe, that to open the door outwards of …

Winning recipe to feature in Lufthansa flights and The Leela restaurants Ms. Vandana Sethi was declared the Grand Prize winner of Lufthansa Star Chef Contest in the Grand Finale at The Leela, Mumbai yesterday where 12 aspiring chefs, selected from thousands of contestants across India, vied for top honours in a live cook-out. Vandana won the battle of taste with …

Etihad Airways to inject additional $220 million in to Jet Airways by Devesh Agarwal We are reproducing the official release. Our analysis of this transaction will follow next week. Jet Airways and Etihad Airways at a glance   Highlights Strategic investment under FDI policy of the Government of India will deliver wide-ranging revenue growth and cost synergy opportunities for both …

by Devesh Agarwal German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa underwent an almost total shut-down when its ground crew went on strike early Monday over working conditions, causing the cancellation of almost all of the airline’s flights. In a statement on its website, the carrier said “nearly all Lufthansa flights within Germany and Europe will be cancelled” and “massive flight cancellations and delays …

Boeing image Today’s approval of battery system improvements for the 787 Dreamliner by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clears the way for Boeing and its customers to install the approved modifications and will lead to a return to service and resumption of new production deliveries. The FAA’s action will permit the return to service of 787s in the United …

The long grounded Boeing 787 fleet across the world are expected to soon return to the skies, as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today took the next step in returning the Boeing 787 to flight by approving Boeing’s design for modifications to the 787 battery system. The changes are designed to address risks at the battery cell level, the …