by Devesh Agarwal Aditya Ghosh, President and Executive Director of Indigo Airlines says “Airlines fail because ego comes in the way of wisdom,” (a reference to the flamboyant Dr. Vijay Mallya). “As any business matures, not just the airline industry, it tends to move away from the basics. We tend to forget what the customer really needs, versus what the …

American Airlines and US Airways officially announced their expected merger yesterday. Press release is below. American Airlines, US Airways combined route map  AMERICAN AIRLINES AND US AIRWAYS TO CREATE A PREMIER GLOBAL CARRIER —THE NEW AMERICAN AIRLINES Customers to Benefit from an Expanded Global Network and Investment in New Aircraft, Technology, Products, and Services Combined Company to Enhance oneworld® Alliance, …

Once again it is that time of the year to combine two passions, flying and wine. The annual Business Traveller ‘Cellars in the Sky’ awards were presented for the year 2012. The awards have been running since 1985, recognising the best business and first class wines served by airlines worldwide. Over 75 carriers were contacted in the summer of 2012, …

In keeping with its Business Plan strategy of ‘Winning Back Customers’, effective today, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is offering passengers an additional 10 kilograms free check-in baggage allowance and reduced excess baggage charges for travel in all classes. The new limits of 30, 40, and 50 kgs in Economy, Business, and First class will apply to all MAS flights using the …

The special concourse dedicated for Emirates’ Airbus A380 superjumbos at Dubai airports is now fully functional. Concourse A at Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport, is the world’s first purpose-built facility for A380 the aircraft at Dubai International. It features 20 A380 capable contact gates, and 29,000 square metres of Emirates’ First and Business class lounges. The concourse has 11 floors …

“Very important for Air India to start from scratch, completely change the way you think” is the advice offered for India’s national carrier by Masaru Onishi, Chairman of Japan Airlines (JAL). Mr. Onishi who spoke to Bangalore Aviation on January 31 on the sidelines of the oneworld entry ceremony of Malaysia Airlines. Mr. Onishi knows the subject of revival; he …

Japan Airlines (JAL) wants to start a Bangalore Tokyo service, but does not have any plans to do so in the near future, Masaru Onishi, Chairman of the airline, told Bangalore Aviation on the sidelines of the Oneworld event to mark the entry of Malaysia Airlines in to the alliance. Onishi went on to say, with the growing investment of …

Back in late January, I had to do a weekend turn to Miami. Because I am currently shooting towards Star Alliance Gold (9,000 miles away) in advance of my travels this summer, I decided to book on United Economy. (Un)Fortunately, my mother was traveling with me, so I had to stick to the nonstop United between Newark – Miami – …

The third day of Aero India 2013 showed some performers who were sorely missed from the beginning of the show. Most notably, the Russian Knights, who finally arrived after being delayed in New Delhi, and the flight of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III which was grounded due to technical problems for the first two days of the show. A photo …

The long awaited Russian Knights aerobatic demonstration team finally arrived at Air Force Station Yelahanka, on the outskirts of Bangalore, at around 12:30pm today, the third day, of Aero India 2013. The arrival of the Knights was delayed after a three-day delay that a member of the Russian delegation confirmed was caused “by delay in internal security clearance” at the …

by Vinay Bhaskara Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ER — Image Credit Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi based Eithad Airways reported its second straight year of profitability, with calendar year 2012 witnessing a net profit of US $42 million (versus $14 million), on revenues of $4.8 billion (up from $4.1 billion in 2011). Full year EBITDAR (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and …

by Devesh Agarwal Updated Feb 8, 2013, 0100 GMT, 0630 IST At a news conference today, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman identified the origin of the Jan. 7 battery fire that occurred on a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston Logan Airport, and said that a focus of the investigation will be on the design and certification requirements of the …

The ninth edition of Aero India opened late and missing a few performers, notably the Russian Knights air display team, which have still not reached the show by the end of the second day. A photo essay on some of the performers on the first day. A Dassault Rafale B takes off during the inaugural ceremony at Aero India 2013. …

Below is a detailed map of the Aero India 2013 show detailing the various entrances, show layout, venue, the different parking areas, viewing areas etc. Please click on the image for a high resolution view. Once the image window opens, you can also right-click and download the image.

by Vinay Bhaskara and Devesh Agarwal Late last week, Mumbai based full service carrier Jet Airways reported an excellent Rs. 85 Crore net profit for the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2012-13, mirroring the financial performance of rival low cost carrier (LCC) SpiceJet and the general resurgence of the Indian airline market as a whole. For the quarter, Jet recorded …

Below is a listing of press releases received February 1 onwards, till date. We will be appending more press releases at the end of this article regularly as and when new releases are received. CATHAY PACIFIC INTRODUCES WORLD’S BEST BUSINESS CLASS AND NEW PREMIUM ECONOMY CABINS ON HYDERABAD-HONG KONG FLIGHTS Cathay Pacific Airways today announced that passengers can enjoy a …

by Vinay Bhaskara Qantas A380 – Image courtesy QANTAS Earlier today, Australian national carrier Qantas announced a restructuring of its Asian network. After launching an in-depth partnership with Middle Eastern carrier Emirates and switching its Kangaroo Route services to operate via Dubai instead of Asia, Qantas announced a renewed focus on strengthening its Asian operation. The key features of the …

As per a report in the Airline Route website, India’s largest domestic carrier is undertaking an expansion of its domestic network in the next one month. Bangalore will see increased services to Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Bangalore will also see a new service direct to Guwahati and on to Agartala. eff 06FEB13Ahmedabad – Bangalore Service increases from 1 to 2 …

by Devesh Agarwal The impact of the month old grounding of their Boeing 787 Dreamliners on Japan Airlines (JAL) appears to much smaller when compared to fellow Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA). “We operated only six Dreamliners out of a fleet of 200 aircraft, so the total impact of the Dreamliner grounding on us is very small” JAL CEO …

by Devesh Agarwal, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines officially joined the oneworld alliance of airlines, as its 12th member, at 12:01am Malaysia Time (+8 GMT), earlier today. A day earlier on January 31, the airline had a series of events to celebrate its joining the alliance. Bangalore Aviation was present at the occasion, and brings you this photo …